A Calling Of Souls
by DrunkDrake
Summary: Long Hiatus... Sorry, but it's small addition too: the eva cast as their lives pick up again
1. The New Enemy

All characters listed here are products of Gainax. This is a fanfic and thus it's given out for free and most likely doesn't follow much (if anything) in the story line...so suing me wouldn't accomplish much nor win you anything(Cause I'm penniless and you'd lose more then me in a court battle as stated before, I'm penniless). These characters are used without permission so there!  
  
This is my first attempt at an eva fic so I can only hope that this isn't WAY too bad. I've started the fic somewhere after the 11th angel(Misato's a Major) and I've seen about a dozen different last names for Asuka. I've had a constant headache from all that, so in this fic she's Asuka Langley *SOHRYU* not Soryu, not Souryu(Oh that one peeved me off) and not what ever little pet names you've come up with her! With that said...  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
  
  
ACallingOfSouls  
Chapter 01 : The new enemy.  
~~~~~~~~  
  
A scream came across as Shinji sat there. A scream. A scream that was full of pain and failure. Failure. The scream seemed to reverberate through the orangish-blood flavoured LCL capsule Shinji sat in. It made Shinji's eyes open in stark realization that he was in EVA 01 and that someone else was in danger. It was odd, like waking half asleep and stumbling around trying to get to the bathroom in a drunken stake... No way to explain it as the seconds this all occurred it vanished with the scream.  
  
"Asuka!" Misato screamed over the radio "Asuka, answer me! Asuka!"  
  
"...ASUKA?!?" Shinji stuttered into the darkness surrounding his chair.  
  
"Shinji?! Your alright?! Shinji is your EVA even functioning?!"  
  
"I don't have a visual feed but everything seems functional...what happened to Asuka?!"  
  
"She's pinned under some buildings and the Angel isn't relenting, can you do anything to help?!"  
  
"Why can't I see Misato...What happened to Ayanami?! Where's she in this mess! The Angel get her too?!"  
  
"You got sucker punched by the Angel...what ever that glop was it's still wrapped around your head and we still haven't received Rei! Unit 00 is still awaiting a pilot!" Misato said gritting her teeth.  
  
"I'll see what I can do..." Shinji grits his teeth as he begins to see what he really can do. The controls seem abit sluggish and without the view it would be impossible to rip off the glop easily.  
  
-From the Nerv control room 10 minutes ago-  
  
Misato stood in her usual spot when it came to commanding the EVAs. Commander Ikari and his lap dog were no where to be seen when the Angel attacked. This left Major Katsuragi in charge with a stern faced Akagi viewing the flow of Data over Maya's terminal. Like most Angel attacks this one had no warning other then the recognition of a Blue pattern that was coming towards Tokyo-3. The Angel this time had a slight resemblance to the first Angel Shinji fought, the 3rd angel with the energy beams and the wrist blades. Except that this Angel was coloured black and it had 4 arms. The only Weapons that the Control room knew of was that each of the hands could detach from the arm and remain clutching an object and then in a matter of seconds the Angel regrew the lost appendage. It demonstrated this unique talent with a sucker punch to Unit 01's head and left it's hand there blocking eye sight, then the Angel continued to leave several other hands in key locations making it look like somebody stapled Unit 01 into the mountain. At this point Asuka had been loaded into Unit 02 and had launched to watch as the Angel was strangling Unit 01...Asuka seeing this only grinned as she saw the "invincible" Shinji defeated and knew it would be her turn.   
  
"Asuka, distract the angel to let Shinji get out of there! Once Shinji is released get him to us and finish off the Angel" Misato relaying the orders watching as Shinji's life signs were beginning to borderline in a very bad direction.  
  
Pulling out the Pellet gun Asuka, grinned as she lined up with the distracted Angel and pulled the trigger. The gun rattled off a satisfying staccato of rounds that pounded into the Angel's side. The Angel turned to Asuka and this was when the true impact of the angel's strength came to light as the angel left it's hands straggling Unit 01 as it regrew them again and charged Asuka. Asuka continued to blast the angel as it charged unfazed by all the rounds flickering through it and around it. This is when it also became apparent this angel had uncanny regenerative abilities even for an Angel, as it could fix it's body shape in mere seconds. Asuka being the resourceful pilot she was stopped firing the gun and used it like a bat when the angel got close enough. The angel had been flung a few blocks and Asuka dropped the bent rifle, grabbed her Prog knife and leapt into the recovering Angel. This is when the angel's 3rd ability came to light. The angel had not used an AT field during the earlier sortie and it appears that it's AT field came into action now...It moved a building right into Unit 02's flight path. The resounding crash echoed across the city when Asuka's backside fell to the floor. Just as Asuka got back to her feet, the Angel had already closed the distance between them and grabbed Asuka lifting her into the air.   
  
"4 arms against 2! That's not very fair now is it!" Asuka screamed in rage but she had enough state of mind at the time to help her recover  
  
"Let's see you deal with a leg too!" The Eva kicked the Angel right in the face plate causing it to lose it's grip on the Eva. It's hands were still attached as expected but Asuka dusted them off and picked up her Prog Knife.  
  
"This is really different then I expected!" She commented removing some of the hands.  
  
"Nice moves, for an Angel though!" Misato commented out loud.  
  
"Who asked you! I think the angel's just another Pervert!" With that Asuka charges the Angel again and once again the angel blocks with a near by building. Followed by the familiar sound of Asuka landing on her rear. The angel stood perhaps 1 block away and had a seemingly mocking look on it's face as Eva 02 rose again.  
  
"Fell for the same trick again! Damn! What's with this thing and sucker punches!?" Growled Asuka. Misato hadn't missed the last 2 charges by Eva 2 and sent new orders and equipment  
  
"Use the cannon, the angel regenerates too fast for small arms fire and has a fairly good strategy and knocking away Melee attackers..." as Misato said this the building next to Asuka opened and a high power energy Cannon was produced.  
  
"Need I warn you to watch out where you aim that thing. It could knock out a few blocks with one miss Asuka"  
  
"Yeah Yeah" Asuka said grabbing the cannon and taking aim. The 2 targeting brackets centred on the angel just in front of her unmoving it stood...She pulled the trigger loosing one shot away and having the recoil force her to readjust her stance as she blew herself a few steps back. Looking up she saw a building disintegrate in front of the angel. It had moved a building in the way.  
  
"Misato, We Gotta find away to stop it from doing that!" Asuka commented taking aim again  
  
"Unless you blast apart the whole city we have no good ideas for this...I've never seen and AT field do this..."  
  
"Useless..."Asuka gritted her teeth and loosed 2 shots this time. However the angel had another building block the first shot and a second one to smash the Cannon in another direction as the second shoot was fired...right at Unit 01!!  
  
"SHINJI!" The resounding explosion on the mountain caused unknown damage to the Eva as an avalanche covered up the top half of the Eva...However, Misato caught just enough of the view to see that the blast knocked off most of hands holding the Eva and that Unit 01's head armour was badly wrangled from the hit.  
  
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Shouted Asuka in a rage. She dropped the cannon seeming how it was really doing less then what she was doing before and she took the Prog Knife once more into her hand and started Forward.  
  
"Asuka remember the last 2 times, you tried that?!"  
  
"This time I'm not rushing in" Asuka was moving at a walking pace towards the Angel and as she walked she saw the building to her left suddenly dive towards her. She moved the Eva to duck just enough that the building soared across the street and knocking over that building. Once again Asuka was picked up by the angel.  
  
"I'll have your head! RRRAAAAAAAA!!" She screamed swinging the Progressive knife at the Angel's head. The angel backed off enough that it was only a glancing blow and a chip of the face flew away. The angel closed in on Eva 02 and had both her arms held as the 4th one reached around for the power line attached to the EVA. Asuka couldn't do anything about it as she continued to arm wrestle it for control and she watched as the LCL container lit up with another panel this one was a timer, Eva had switched to internal power.  
  
"4 minutes 13 seconds of power left!" One of the techs bellowed. Asuka didn't know them all that well, but she knew that timer well. Life or death is spelt in it's fast count down to 0:00:00... She bellowed her anger at how powerless she was in it's grip and how she just couldn't stop these angels. Every time she fought she wouldn't be the one to win, not her, always Shinji, Rei or some other stupid thing that made her always seem so useless. She had her Eva fight, stomp, kick, punch until she was loose again from the iron grip of the angel.  
  
"Time remaining 2 minutes 27 seconds!" the same tech yelled out again. The angel gave up it's hold on the buildings and engaged Asuka. Asuka gave a non-intelligible grunt as she arm wrestled with 2 of the arms in Melee as another one of them was pushing her head back and the last one was forcing her leg at an odd angle threatening to lose her balance. It was a lost cause in that fight for Asuka and she knew it. She knew it even worse when the Angel broke the left 3 fingers, Index, Middle and wisdom and threw her back across the road. Asuka held her hand that felt the pain of her EVA and let a slip cry out of her pain as she continued to fall back. Crashing against another building Eva 02 slowly rose again, showing that Asuka had recovered from the pain, and had picked up the Energy cannon that it dropped from just before.  
  
"54 seconds!" came the voice again.  
  
"Your mine!" Asuka said with a determined look in her eye and loosed another shoot. The blast would have been dead on but the Angel evaded at the last second leaving the shot heading for the far off Ocean.  
  
"Damn you, Die!" She turned again and fired. The angel dodged again and threw one of it's fists at Asuka. The fist collided directly with the EVA's chin leaving a nasty fracture on the armour and the pilot was sent reeling. Asuka had accidently triggered the button and fired one shot right at her feet...The energy cannon's shot hit the ground and exploded. the surrounding buildings were flung away in heaps the cannon ripped apart it's own stock and the Eva in ground Zero rocked still standing in the disintegrating blast. "Time remaining 10 seconds!" Only enough time for Asuka to scream as the pain rolled over her she felt every plate rip away, she felt every surface of her body super heat and she felt the EVA's every pain...Shinji then woke...  
  
"Asuka!" Misato screamed over the radio "Asuka, answer me! Asuka!"  
  
"...ASUKA?!?" Shinji stuttered  
  
"Shinji?! Your alright?! Shinji is your EVA even functioning?!"  
  
"I don't have a visual feed but everything seems functional...what happened to Asuka?!"  
  
"She's pinned under some buildings and the angel isn't relenting, can you do anything to help?!"  
  
"Why can't I see Misato...What happened to Ayanami?! Where's she in this mess! The Angel get her too?!"  
  
"You got sucker punched by the Angel...what ever that glop was it's still wrapped around your head and we still haven't received Rei! Unit 00 is still awaiting a pilot!" Misato said gritting her teeth.  
  
"I'll see what I can do..." Shinji grits his teeth as he begins to see what he really can do. The controls seem a bit sluggish and without the view it would be impossible to rip off the glop easily.  
  
As the Angel continues to bash the unpowered Eva with the defenceless pilot inside, Eva unit 01's arm can be seen breaking free of the rumble that covered it. It's arm motions are jerky but it swipes away all the earth and rock with a mere swipe of it's arms. It's beautiful purple armour with bright green stand outs was greatly torn and badly scratched. The horn on it's helmet was snapped at a half point and the angels hand still clung to the EVA's eyes. With it being free of it's rocky confines it stumbles a few streets down clutching the hand trying to rip it off. Inside the Plug Shinji was getting a live feed from one of the VTOL flyers circling the battlefield. The scene was horrifying...the sun had long since set and the city lights shone barely illuminating the Angel as it slowly ripped apart Eva 02's red armour. The Eva was helpless...Asuka was helpless...she was doomed...just being ground Zero in her own Cannon blast had severely ripped away the EVA's left armour along the leg and most of the arm. However the Angel was tearing into the Eva with it's bare claws...ripping apart the armour trying to find the pilot that had fought so valiantly. Shinji watched horrified as the Angel was ripping past the final layers of armour and Eva 02's blood was beginning to spray across the city. Shinji redoubled his efforts to rip off the hand on his armoured helmet as he watched the Angel tunnel deeper...  
  
"Damn you, come on! Asuka's in trouble come on! Come on!" Shinji screamed pulling the controls harder stealing another look at the screen Asuka's Eva is missing most of it's chest and the angel was gripping the entry plug that housed the pilot.  
"Damn you, damn you heartless Angels! Leave us alone! Leave Asuka alone!" With that Eva 01 lost all radio signals and it's mouth ripped open the metal armour that kept it closed. It was berserk. It First leaped into the Angel even without it's sight and caused it to drop Asuka's entry pod as it flew into a sky scraper 4 blocks down. Again the berserker charged the angel but the angel deftly dodged and struck the Eva on it's back sending it stumbling across several blocks. The Eva still in berserker torn off it's own armoured Helmet throwing it aside allowing the smooth forehead to show with 2 very bright shining green eyes, both focusing on the Angel with deadly intent. The angel then used it's AT field and sent buildings crashing into the Eva, if it wasn't for the fact that the Eva grabbed each building and throw it back to the Angel. The Angel had no defense as it's own weapons were thrown back into itself. The Angel collapsed with sharp struts and broken windows sticking out of it. However the Eva was not finished as it saw that there was still life it that Angel's eyes... The Eva crouched and they leapt crushing the angel's face under it's massive shoes. The massive wave of blood from the angel's face covered a many of city blocks for many days.  
  
"A10 nerve connections restored" a NERV tech stated  
  
"Eva has gone silent" The female tech Maya stated flatly...Eva 01 hadn't gone berserk for months...many thought that they'd never see it again, it and it's sadistic fighting tactics. However It was back and it stared right back into the live feed from the VTOL giving the tech workers the impression that it was staring right at them. The Eva then began to walk towards the torn Unit 02, halting just in front of it.It's hollowed green eyes seemed to echo a hollow pain...one that's there and is ever changing and never resting as it stared down on Asuka's Eva. It then picked up the EVA and locked it into it's holding restraints as it was lowered back into NERV headquarters via the launching rails. As Eva 02 lowered itself, Eva 01 turned back and headed for the entry plug with Asuka in it. It has the grip imprints of the angels hand on it and it's emergency hatch was being opened by rescue crews as Eva 01 knelt in front of the battered plug.  
  
"Shinji? Shinji you ok?" Misato asked when the radio was reset and sending Shinji's link up.  
  
"Mi...Misato?...Is E...everything ok? Is Asuka?!"  
  
"She's fine Shinji. Our recovery teams have already got her retrieved from the entry plug" Misato states with a rushing calm as she see's Shinji ok and with the reports of Asuka coming in it's obvious that everyone would be coming home...Looking at the battlefield though reveals...  
  
---  
  
"Many buildings were destroyed on the north eastern city section. It's very likely that this is going to cost a bit more then NERV was meant to handle" Fuyutsuki said to Ikari as her stood in his usual spot slightly to the right and behind Ikari Gendo.  
  
"This was not apart of what the sea scrolls told us..." Gendo stated. He sat in his office on his chair by the desk sitting in his usual manner. His elbows resting on both sides of his desk and his hands resting folded in front of his head blocking view of his mouth. His head was slightly hung as the unpredicted event was being broadcast by his many underlings over the com channels. Gendo's eye's could barely be seen through the glasses studying the patterns on the floor in the dark room.  
  
"You said to expect things not found in the dead sea scrolls yourself" Fuyutsuki continued also listening in as the workers of NERV were studying the angels dead body and the remains of Tokyo-3 each one reporting in their findings. Thoughts came and went in his mind as this situation went by again and again in his head. It was so odd...it was almost an exact replay of the 3rd angels attack. Even the angel looked vaguely the same.  
  
"Yes, I did say that but...I had known of this possibility...but I hadn't believed that the angel would have come back again" Gendo stated. His mind was as thick as a black night. It hid all things that went in and out. Gendo never let anyone know exactly what he planned to do. However there was one was one thought that was understandable in his mind.  
  
"Perhaps there really is something we should worry about, it's almost the eve" Gendo said.  
  
"The eve?...but...that makes almost no sense...bad enough we're fighting angels, I couldn't possibly think of how to handle both sides..."  
  
"Then start thinking" The voice came from in front of them as the black door opened revealing Doctor Akagi walking towards them. Her lab coat was spotlessly white and her blue shirt and black shorts also were seen from just under the coat. Her short blonde hair seemed to follow her like a cape framing her head. Her walk never betrayed any fear until most other workers and technicians that worked at NERV when facing Gendo.  
  
"It's obvious that this is getting expensive. Repairs to the city alone will cost a lot more. I've never seen so much damage to the city before. The damage to unit 02 is very extensive, I believe that it will take a week to fix to operational standards" Ritsuko rambled off a list in her hands.  
  
"But it will function again correct?"  
  
"Yes" Ritsuko replied to Fuyutsuki  
  
"And the pilot?"  
  
"The pilot was unconscious upon extraction and was placed in the infirmary. The second child has yet to awaken but all physical damage is healed" Ritsuko said.  
  
"Keep us informed, you are dismissed" Gendo said unmoving.  
  
---  
  
"Pilot Ikari"  
  
Shinji snapped out of his silent thinking as Ayanami Rei spoke to him.  
  
"Ayanami?...Your here too?"  
  
"Yes. I came to see what condition the second child is"  
  
"Oh that's good. Where were you during the battle?"  
  
"I was...occupied" Rei stated in her own emotionless way. Before an awkward silence came like most conversations with Rei, a nurse left the room Shinji was waking next to.  
  
"Oh? You were waiting to see her?" The nurse said once noticing Shinji and Rei standing next to the door.  
  
"Yes, can we see her now? Is she alright?" Shinji asked  
  
"Yes, you may go in, she's all fixed up"  
With that Shinji turned around and opened the door to the room the nurse just left. Upon entering Shinji saw how similar the hospital room Asuka resting was compared to the one that Shinji always seemed to end up in. The bed was in the middle of the room with the red head lying peacefully with her hair spread across the pillow. There seemed to be several machines on the other side of her that gave a constant low beep proving that regardless of the stained bandages along her left side she was alright. Rei entered the room behind Shinji and closed the door behind them. The noise of the closed door caused Asuka to turn her head in their direction.  
  
"Hi Asuka! Your all right?" Shinji said taking a few steps towards the bed railings. Asuka only stared at the two. Rei stayed by the door watching.  
  
"...Asuka?...hey Asuka?" Shinji said blinking over her as he watched she was staring at Rei. Shinji continued to blink at her holding his head just over her as she slowly turned back at him.  
  
"S...Shi...Shinji?"  
  
"Asuka!...what is it Asuka!?" Asuka blinked a few times staring blankly at him. Then she leapt at him capturing him in a hug.  
  
"AHH! Asuka!?" Shinji stammered as he was gripped tightly. Then he slowly put his hands on her back and hugged her back. Asuka seemed to blink again noticing Rei watching.  
  
"HEY! DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU ! HENTAI!!" She screamed standing on the bed she held her right foot down pinning Shinji's head to the pillow Asuka was resting on only moments ago. Rei seeing that Asuka was completely healed had left through the door, her light blue hair leaving a faint trail on Shinji's vision as he felt like he was blacking out from the pressure of Asuka's sock on his head. Once Rei left, Asuka let Shinji's head slip out of her stance as she stood over him on the bed with arms crossed and a predatory smile on her lips. Shinji backed off a step after recovering seeing her stance.  
  
"So...your all better..." Shinji made the question sound like a statement as he rubbed his head. Her smile disappeared and it was replaced by a look of anxiety. Perhaps she was starting to feel self conscious standing on the hospital bed wearing only socks and a hospital gown... Indeed this was what she was thinking because she felt a breeze on her back and her face turned red as her old plug suit as the gown fluttered up. Shinji stood only rubbing his head watching her stand as he faintly heard the breeze pick up. A resounding Slap was heard at the reception desk down the hall. Shinji's rely was cut in half...  
  
---  
  
"what was that?" thought Kensuke carrying a box almost as big as he was. He wandered down the hospital hall checking the names. He had been thrilled when Misato had grabbed him and gave him a box for him to help her move. Misato said nothing other then to help her move a few things. Misato told him that, Shinji asked for that box from NERV HQ. Togi was also thrilled at being picked up by Misato but when she told them to drop it off for Shinji in the NERV infirmary, Togi's reaction was shock while Kensuke's was thrilling, followed by shock. Was Shinji hurt? Well Kensuke and Togi were about to find out. Following their tour guide then arrived at the hospital for NERV under the GeoFront and were just now checking with the reception desk as to where Shinji was. The current worker didn't have anyone under the name Shinji as a patient but brightened under his description and pointed to room 204 halfway up the hall. Giving their thanks Kensuke and Togi walk down the hall holding their boxes Shinji asked for. They had no idea what was in them because Misato had packed them before picking up Kensuke and Togi, they could only think that it was stuff to make Shinji's stay in the hospital all that much better. As they walked past the rooms lining the hall peeking into them, most were empty but as they drew up to 204 they heard moaning, screaming and a lot of crashing coming from behind it's doors.  
  
"Hey Aida! I bet the 'second child' is in their right now expressing her thanks for being rescued" commented Togi as they walked through the door into a scene they didn't expect. Asuka was on top of Shinji alternating from strangling him to beating him against the nearest wall. Kensuke and Togi could only stare as Asuka carried on for about another minute. When she finally released Shinji against a wall he slid down almost stunned and Asuka took a step back. She then turned around and rambled off a victory chant in German, well that's what they thought it was. She then opened her eyes and saw Kensuke and Togi and she immediately got a very predatory look on her face as she grit her teeth.  
  
"Oh great your here too. The 3 stooges! HMMF!" Asuka said turning her head away and crossing her arms. Until a thought crossed her mind.  
  
"What are you doing in NERV anyway?!"  
  
"We came to see Shinji!" Togi said  
  
"We never thought you'd be here!" Kensuke said then to Togi "Perhaps we should have put some wondering into why Shinji's name wasn't on the list"  
  
"After what just happened to him...perhaps he'll need a room after all" Togi said back to Kensuke.  
  
"STOP WHISPERING!"  
  
"Calm down, they only came cause I asked for them" Shinji said slowly standing up and using the wall as a support. Motioning Togi and Kensuke to leave the boxes by the door then leave they did just that. Asuka could only watch with a small bit of interest to what was happening. She turned around at laid back on the bed stretching out but gave Shinji a stare of death as she saw him catching a peek at her.  
  
"Why are you even here 'third child'?"  
  
"Well your gonna be here for a few days, so I thought I'd make the stay more pleasant!" He said beaming  
  
"WHAT?! HEY YOU BETTER NOT BE THINKING WHAT I THINK YOUR THINKING...ARGH HENTAI!!" Said a red faced Asuka. Shinji paused for a moment and flushed red himself.  
  
"Hey, no no no no! You got me all wrong!" Said Shinji as he pathetically attempted to defend from Asuka's growing anger. He motioned to the boxes left behind.  
  
"I'm going over there for a moment" He returned tail and ran to the boxes by the door. Asuka's gaze boor onto his back. She was doing this mostly because she had nothing else to do, at least she'd be able to leave soon...  
  
"Wait a minute! HOW LONG AM I STAYING!?" Asuka said stunned. This caused Shinji to turn back from his crouching position  
  
"Ahhh...days really...The doctors didn't say when, just a generalize" Shinji said. Asuka only sat there in stunned silence before smiling and chuckling lightly.  
  
"Ah Baka Shinji. Good one you almost had me..." Shinji replied only by turning around " Oh my god! Your not kidding!" She launched herself from the bed turning Shinji around and practically straggling him as she clasped his collar.  
  
"AHHAH URGG AHAAHDF" Shinji screamed/gurgled as he was shaken to the point where a milkshake would look unbeaten compared to him. Asuka could only ramble off questions, most were lost to Shinji as he felt like dough. But one question did seem more understandable.  
  
"Why am I having to put up with this!? This is a disgrace I knew they'd get rid of me if I was useless!" Asuka had rambled on a lot more things but this stuck in Shinji's head for a long time, though he may not realize it. Shinji finally got enough control of himself to mumble a few words, Asuka having noticed Shinji was saying something stopped and listened.  
  
"...been here earlier but after hearing how long they planned to have you here, I wanted to do you a favour" at this is pointed to the boxes "Those are some of your things" Asuka slightly dumb founded staring at Shinji then the boxes and Shinji again. A slight grin spread across her lips again, another one that could curdle milk.  
  
"Rummaging through my things were you? See anything you liked in my room?" Shinji reacted like he was hit by a sucker punch from his Eva and spread flat against the wall.  
  
"I GOT MISATO TO GO IN YOUR ROOM, I SWEAR IT WASN'T ME!" Shinji stated. Asuka lost the smile and gave Shinji 100% pure Asuka smile, one that could make a dead man walk a mile just to see it.  
  
"I trust you that much Shinji" A look passed through her eyes "So what did you do just now looking through these boxes?" Shinji again flattened himself against the all and held up his SDAT pointing at it.  
  
"I asked Misato to put it on top of one of them!"  
  
"Fine If that's your excuse...why did you come here. I can't be that important to you" With that Asuka winked at him and elbowed him gently. Shinji only gave an annoyed glance back before taking his SDAT with him to the connecting room. A connecting room?! Asuka left her curiosity for what was in the boxes and took a peek through the door. It lead to another Hospital bed and a bathroom connecting between them. This was odd really. She'd never been in a hospital for too long mostly due to her...She shook off the that train of thought as Shinji said something.  
  
"I'm placed in the connecting room. One of those 2 boxes should have clothing for you" Asuka then realized how much she really didn't like these hospital gowns either. She turned back to them and opened one. Inside was a few of her CD's, some VHS/DVD tapes books and Mangas even...HER TEDDY BEAR! This she hugged before setting it aside and continuing her search through the box. This box was just entertainment and time waster things so she checked the other one. This one had her clothing in it plus a few other things, red curtains, some bed sheets her pillow and alarm clock.  
  
---  
  
"So we quarantined them to watch for any oddities of their behaviour?" Misato said.  
  
"Yes, that wasn't an angel they fought up there...it was something...else" Ritsuko said leaning over a computer terminal. The images she saw were reflected off her glasses as she scrolled down through all the data being collected from the 'angel's corpse.  
  
"Not an angel? How's that possible! I thought big, dumb and ugly were characteristic's shared only between angels and EVAs!!" Misato said. How is it that there is something that could threaten us like this. We knew there we only 17 angels to begin with but what were these things!? She wanted this answered. If only she wasn't going to get it yet.  
  
"So what are they?"  
  
"It's impossible to say for now. Even my best guess isn't a very good one" Misato seeing Ritsuko so off balance, made her feel that her friend really didn't know what was threatening them. It was anyone's guess really.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
*Hot air Zone detected avert eyes to avoid idiocy*  
  
Ok so that's done. This is my first EVA fic. I actually got a few more chapters then this one, but this is just sort of a pet project of mine. Something to challenge me(Perhaps I bit off a bit too much eh?) and I've obviously made a few mistakes along the way... It's a fact of life that I can't avoid *Sigh*. I would LOVE to have reviews...and I guess flames would be good too(What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger...*"IF"* it doesn't kill you) 


	2. Truth Hidden In Shadows

All characters listed here are products of Gainax. This is a fanfic and thus it's given out for free and most likely doesn't follow much (if anything) in the story line...so suing me wouldn't accomplish much nor win you anything(Cause I'm penniless and you'd lose more then me in a court battle as stated before, I'm penniless). These characters are used without permission so there!  
  
This is my first attempt at an EVA fic so I can only hope that this isn't WAY too bad. Since people seem to be waiting for an addition to my chapter 1/intro I've decided to pop this sucker in a little sooner then expected.  
  
I've started the fic somewhere after the 11th angel(Misato's a Major) and I've seen about a dozen different last names for Asuka. I've had a constant headache from all that, so in this fic she's Asuka Langley *SOHRYU* not Soryu, not Souryu(Oh that one peeved me off) and not what ever little pet names you've come up with her! With that said...  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
ACallingOfSouls  
Chapter 02 : Truths hidden in shadow  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"So did they give you the reason why we're stuck here?"  
  
"Not a word" Shinji said leafing through the new NERV hand booklet that had been slipped under his door, the book wasn't any different from any of the other ones other then a new cover but Shinji was betting that borderline of the cover was 'FINE' print. He couldn't prove it without a magnifying glass. Looking up he saw through the connecting door that Asuka had made her room a lot more comfortable by placing all the things that she found in the boxes. It no longer felt like a hospital room, or like a posh one that they had to share. Well... it was posh for a hospital room.  
  
"This is really weird...I've not really seen a...hospital room like this one before. Even odder is the fact that we haven't been told why we're here..." Asuka continued to drone on, her voice echoing through the private corridor they had between rooms. Shinji put down the Booklet and crossed over to Asuka's room. Shinji could have sworn it once was a hospital room... only that where walls were, there were posters, a small red carpet was at the foot of her bed with her shoes on it(only one pair). The medical equipment and IV stuff had been removed by now and the view outside through Asuka's windows was slightly marred by 2 red curtains. Shinji never did figure out how Asuka was such a nut case when it came to her favourite colour. Shinji noticed Asuka sprawled out on her bed(wearing clothes! Stop thinking like that!) and lazily leafed through a magazine.  
  
"It is weird how we're locked up so much but not really allowed to go anywhere..." At Shinji's words Asuka sat up from her bed and went to the door.  
  
"This sucks I'm leaving" she grabbed the handle but it wouldn't budge. Asuka put a lot of effort into moving it but it still remained still. She gave up and gave Shinji a questioning stare.  
  
"We were locked in, Asuka...didn't you hear me before?" Shinji said leaning against the connecting door frame.  
  
"Baka! You didn't tell me earlier!" Asuka fumed. Shinji could have sworn he saw steam coming from her head. He ducked back into his room and was in the process of closing the door when....  
  
"Ohhhhh SShhhhiiiinnjjjiii!"  
  
"Y-Yea-ah Wh-at is it Asu-ka?" Shinji only hoped the next sentence didn't start with 'I'm bored'.  
  
---  
  
Rei sat silent in her school chair staring out the window as the teacher rambled on about 2nd impact this, effected me that again. If she had bothered to count she would have concluded that this was the 2nd time this morning that the teacher got lost in his stories and forgetting all about the lesson. She didn't care, she never really bothered to check up on anything other then what was falling below exceptable grades. Put bluntly, if it was a failing mark she would study and turn it into a passing one. Otherwise she mostly just stared out the window. Today's view still had the tree she liked and a bright sunny day with blue sky and with clouds lazily moving across the vast ocean of blue. She also saw how close the destruction was near the school. She saw homes in ruins and families leaving...but she also saw workers rebuilding all the ruins. Perhaps humanity wasn't so bad, they continued to live regardless of what happened. She continued to look across the city and set her eyes on a scene with a crying child. The child was being carried over to a vehicle while the child reached for some object in the ruins of what had been it's home until now. The child was leaving for a new and better home, one that was safe and gave all that the old one had...yet still the child cried and reached...  
  
The symbolism of this was lost to Rei after she thought one single thought.  
"Will they all do this when the time comes?"  
  
---  
  
A symbolic viewing was the least of Shinji's worries that night. Shinji was watching the ceiling, counting the number of tiles for the third time for no other reason then to see if his math was correct and because he could not sleep. He was tired. Why, he could barely keep his eyes open. Asuka had just beat him in 23 rounds of some game she had brought with her. They played long into the night with the only sounds being the beeps and blips of pixel characters beating the snot out of each other, and the staff had several times told them through the doors that it was lights out. She didn't let him go until the staff turned the power off to the rooms to get the idea across. Asuka had been pretty sour about that because it was about the only way for her to forget that they were forced there, Shinji had made a hasty retreat then. Yet once he closed his eyes...nothing came. No dreams, no nightmares, no sleep, just nothing... He rolled over again and again trying to sleep catch a wink, anything. He gave up for a moment and got his SDAT just next to him on the tray table and popping both headphones into his ears... he sat and listened. The music rolled over him seemingly soothing him...music soothes the savage beast. Where had he heard that before? It didn't matter too much as he slowly nodded off to sleep. His last thought before finally falling asleep was... Eva 01... that thing was a curse to him... even in his dreams it haunted him now. It made as if to hug him but had absorbed him and it's eyes opened with a white blaze in his mind as he fell asleep...  
  
---  
  
Asuka just couldn't sleep. Apparently she shared the same sleepless curse Shinji did that night. She rolled over and over and even muddled up some of the decorations in her room to keep her occupied until she slept. The sleep didn't come easy. Once it did she found it a hollow one. As she slept it felt like something was shovelling away herself and opening a hole leading to her loneliness. She she watched in a dream sort of way she saw as the whole opened wider until the hole no longer lead to loneliness but radiated it. She woke up in a cold sweat giving a gasp. She saw all the decorations muffled up. She focused on the decorations because they blocked the feeling that she was in the hospital... Hospital... she never liked them after... She stood up and went over the curtains rearranging them again for the 3rd time that night anything to distract her. She kept thinking about that emptiness that was echoing pain in her. She felt the echoes grow louder and louder...almost to the point where she felt like it was coming from her very room. Then she realized it came from Shinji's room...and it wasn't an echo...mumbling could be faintly heard through the closed doors between them. Asuka heard this and wondered...Shinji didn't mumble in his sleep?...Well he never did before. Her room was, after all,right next to his in Misato's apartment. Asuka didn't feel too perturbed until she overheard one of his mumbled lines.  
  
"...punch...tear...kill"  
  
Asuka was stunned...she never thought she'd ever hear Shinji say such words out loud... and he was saying them faster and faster, louder and louder. She ran to his door and watched as she saw him sleep...sleep fighting was the only way to describe it. He was completely ripping the bed sheets clean in two. She watched as he viciously assaulted the pillow punching it with enough force to cause the bed to shake radically and she watched as Shinji's elbow smacked a light stand and he immediately leapt at it screaming bloody murder and his chant in one fast blurb. She watched stunned as he sighed as if out of strength then dozed off... He had slumped almost like his EVA would when it's power ran out. He slept the whole time of this apparently but as she entered his room she saw his knuckles raw and even parts of his right fist bloodied from all the sharp edges of the broken lamp scattered across the room. She only stared for a second at the now blissful and content Shinji snoozed but the image of his pure rage, beating the furniture, imprinted on his face during those awful seconds still seared her mind like a candle dipped in gasoline. What was he...what was he just then? Asuka picked up Shinji and put him back on his bed. His face had barely changed from before, but a smile had peeped onto his face as she held him. She left him there as she viewed the room again. The lamp was the only thing that really was out of place and the blankets. She took away all the shredded blankets and put a new pillow under his head. She even used the shredded cloth to clean away the broken and very sharp lamp. She sighed looking at the boy she had been working with, the boy she entrusted her life when piloting and the boy she liked...well as a friend,maybe...but who was he?  
  
---  
  
It was odd. I was back in Eva...Was it by my choice or someone else's? I stood and watched as the world spun around me. It suddenly stopped and I stared straight at the first enemy I ever fought against with my Eva...The third angel, Sachiel...this time I didn't move and the angel came to me, unlike last time it didn't attack me. It only looked at me then moved away. I watched it leave until the world spun again, this time it was the 4th angel. It's odd jellyfish snail combination was slightly disturbed as it reared up letting it's energy tentacles slither forward, and stopped. I had made no move towards it...and it moved past me, again and angel didn't attack me. It was frightening but it was also nice to not have to fight. Then the 5th angel lowered itself in front of me. It's odd diamond shaped body glinted in the bright sun. It then suddenly focused a beam at me. I ducked, but the Eva didn't, however the beam wasn't meant for me. I watched as the angel flew past me and joined the others all behind me. I didn't see the others but I felt them watching me. Again and again I saw all the defeated angels come towards me and I let them all past me. Some threatening others inviting...They all came to me. All offering something that remained unknown to me. Even know that it's been the 3rd night I've dreamt this... and once again they all turned and faced Shinji. Each all said at once as a sole entity.  
  
To each of you, must fall 3. You have but one and more shall come.   
Be ready Shinji, guard good Togi.  
To your friends, we are fiends  
to you, we are as we were.  
Messengers of a word forgotten  
always take heed or ill be gotten.  
  
A sudden shadow appeared and started attacking EVA's unit 02 and 00. Shinji saw himself raise out of the ground in front of himself. EVA 01 rose it's weapon and attacked but could do nothing...Shinji watched as both Rei and Asuka were beaten and shredded before the shadow faced him. The shadow had a core, one that seemed to twist into a smile and laugh at him. He watched as unit 01 was also beaten and shredded. The shadow then disappeared with everything else as Ramiel the diamond shaped angel faced Shinji once again.  
  
This would be your fate Lillim, but you can prevent it.  
  
"HOW?!"  
  
I shall 'lend' myself to you when the time comes. You will know what to do.   
What happened? He had woken up with the sun's rays in his eyes. The dream...was it a dream? Shinji sat back to rest but when his eyes closed this time a thousand hands reaching from a black pit...  
  
---  
  
Aoba was a simple laid back techy that had 1/3 of the control of NERV at his tips. He wasn't a strategist or mastermind he was just the guy that followed the commands. He didn't care all that much of his job one way or not but he was here and he got everything he needed while he was here. Currently he was bored and was stringing his air guitar blissfully as Hyuga was leafing through some Mangas and snickering every so often. Maya on the far side of the command console was busy typing away doing whatever it was that she was doing. Often Aoba though she was only practicing to catch up to Akagi's skill and speed of typing almost like a rivalry but he paid little heed because it never affected work. Back to stringing his air guitar he blissfully went back to day dream central. Sub commander Fuyutsuki stood at the higher command level watching all the technicians working and relaxing in a blissfully way. Often there was something that would threaten the world or there were tests and the centre came alive. However there were no tests scheduled today and no angels were detected. These facts combined and in most of the workers minds it meant free-day. Just as long as all the routines were done, they could do bloody well what they wanted just as long as they didn't leave their posts. Fuyutsuki didn't mind, he actually enjoyed these few times. Fuyutsuki was one of the two people who knew everything about NERV, what it was built from and what it was built for. He was an imposing figure but he was nothing compared to Gendo, the man's glasses reflected light that blocked view of his eyes and his stance often was that of a predator standing on it's catch. Gendo was never to be taken lightly for only Gendo truly knew everything that could hinder NERV. Fuyutsuki watched as Aoba strung away on his air guitar and wondered how the technicians could so easily relax when nothing went wrong, he almost admired them, they knew almost nothing of what was going to happen yet still they existed and fought and worked. A smile spread across Fuyutsuki's lips as he sat in the raised chair in the command level station.  
  
---  
  
Hyuga's reading was interrupted by flashing on his console board. IT wasn't something really really serious, if it was it would have lit up the main view that every level could see in the main office. Important or un-important Hyuga thought he'd tie up the loose end before going back to his manga. Slipping the book to the side he typed a few commands into his keyboard and brought up the data screen that was blinking for attention. The Magi system had begun a new sweep using it's newly placed sensors, in response to the last attack. It had been confirmed that it wasn't an angel that attacked last time because angels "patterns" changed to blue when attacking, but the last one wandered around in blue and then switched to another "pattern". This was was labelled red for it's pattern was the opposite of what was expected and the name seemed to fit. The new sensors were designed to detect all "patterns". It listed all humans as green, angels as blue, unknown as orange and the new threat as red. It had a few other colours as well but nothing really seemed serious. As Hyuga watched the scan go about it's business it stopped suddenly over a spreading red pattern...with a blue dot in the middle. The main screen immediately lit up like a Christmas tree...  
  
"Pattern detected! Coming in though the Mt. Futogo mountain pass!"  
  
"It's an angel!?!"  
  
"Negative! It's pattern is...RED?!"   
  
"Red!? What is this?!" Fuyutsuki nodded as he listened to the command centre go into overdrive. When ever something was detected that was a possible threat all key personal were immediately notified. This meant the pilots Shinji, Asuka, Rei, the command operations director Misato and Lead scientist doctor Akagi.  
  
---  
  
Yes...I will report in" Rei hung up her phone and left her silent empty apartment.  
  
"An angel!?" said Asuka in disbelief. Shinji could guess why, most angels never attacked with barely a week separating from the last attack. All the angels so far attacked in a monthly time line. But could we manage daily assaults? Asuka and Shinji were lead to the locker rooms for pilots. And were left there. Odd really...an armed escort? It's never happened before. Mumbling Asuka and Shinji took of their clothes to get into their plug suits in their separate change rooms before exitting through the opposite door leading to the Eva storage cages. Rei was just getting changed herself as they entered they're EVAs.  
  
---  
  
Misato drove like a bat out of hell. She had been sleeping with a slight hang over when the phone rang. When she picked it up and was informed of the attack she bolted for the door and snagged the keys out the door.  
  
Doctor Akagi was already waiting in the command level of the main office watching the read outs on Maya's console. Misato stormed in demanding reports and current data on the objective.   
  
"Target is coming from somewhere from the peak of mt. Futogo" Hyuga reported.  
  
"No visual on the target...IT's moving!" Aoba reported. Fuyutsuki was in command of all operations due to the fact that commander Gendo Ikari wasn't there. He let Misato as operations director maintain command, she was quite skilled for managing under pressure. Misato spoke up over the din and began giving out orders.  
  
"All EVAs ready?"  
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
"Good, keep an eye on that read out and give me live updates to it's movements"  
  
"Roger ma'am"  
  
"Alright here's the plan. Based on the lack of visual and lack of data this is going to be a recon mission. It hasn't came too close to the city so we still have some time" The techs all nodded agreement as they managed the data inflow.  
  
"Launch units 00 and 02! Deploy them at cross sections and have them move forwards at varying angles for better data"  
  
"Yesss Ma'Am!" came Asuka's energetic reply as she was launched at a harrowing 100 mph straight up.  
  
"Will follow orders" Came Rei's emotionless reply as she too was launched at the same speed with a different destination.  
  
"Orders?" asked Shinji as he sat strapped into the Eva awaiting Misato's reply. He too was set for launch but without orders and a destination the techs didn't bother to launch him.  
  
"Shinji, you hang tight for now, if we need you as back up we will deploy you where needed" Misato said before switching to commanding of the other 2 EVAs.  
  
---  
  
the view of the city sinking sure was an odd one. As each of the major buildings sunk into the armoured ground 2 intersections opened up suddenly and large poles jutted out. A mere few seconds later an Eva came from each of the openings suddenly stopped by the lack of track they each followed. The safety catches releases and each Eva shrugged off the uptight stance they were forced to endure for the ride. Eva unit 00 was a faded blue colour with one large eye receptor on the front of it's face and another receptor on the top of it's head. It's sleek body was much like the other 2 EVA's other then the colour design. A building opened to it's right and a small arms pellet rifle extended into it's reach. Rei as pilot of Unit 00 took the rifle in hand and begun to move up along the street. Asuka's Eva took the small arms rifle she was offered and marched up the street their power cords trailing behind them as they slowly approached the region where the red pattern was detected.  
  
"The pattern has switched to blue and has begun to cross the lake!" Hyuga reported.  
  
"Alright you two. This is it. Stand your ground and let's see what's going on. This is a recon operation so get the data and run!" Misato gave out the orders calmly. All Shinji could do was watch as the 2 pilots edged closer to the target from a VTOL that was monitoring the situation and from the pilots screens.  
  
Asuka stood with her Eva at the edge of the lake viewing the region she was told that had the angel in it. Rei herself stood almost a mile away at a different angle attempting the same thing. They watched as slowly a shadow moved down a hill... It was a cloudless day as Rei remembered and looking up she saw nothing in the sky. It was obviously the shadow, or something...  
  
"What are you kidding me!? a shadow?! How could we fight a shadow!" Asuka's voice was heard through Shinji's comm. He sat and though for a moment. A shadow? How did this sound a familiar? A shadow...He sat and brooded over what his mind wouldn't let him remember.  
---  
  
Asuka was dumb struck. It had to be the shadow as she watched the shadows movements matched exactly what the scanners read. It was weird and frightening she remembered what Shinji mumbled about a shadow that morning. Perhaps this was it? Or was it the shadow she saw, the hole of her loneliness from her dream. As if the shadow had read her mind it suddenly arced across the lake towards her.  
  
"Sohryu, move it!" Rei called, waking Asuka out of her silence. A string of German curses started up as the Eva suddenly lurched up and leapt 3 blocks in a sudden move. Leaping backwards wasn't the smartest thing to do and Asuka found this out as she tripped over a building and landed back first. She righted herself as the shadow stood up in front of her. The shadow formed a familiar shape...it looked exactly like Unit 02 only it's colour scheme was grey and black and red and orange like Asuka's. Asuka slowly fled backwards and she levelled her rifle, and sent a well placed riddle of shots right through what would have been the EVA's chest. The shots only went through the other side impacting on the lake and mountain. Some of the shots even sent a few black splotches flying in all directions but the shadow only dissolved the figure and rebuilt it behind her. Asuka had just enough time to turn and watch as the fake EVA's fist crashed into her face plate. Asuka was sent reeling towards the lake, stumbling over a few buildings that happened to be in the way. Her upper body fell into the lake causing a rather large wave to smash against the shore line but she didn't bother with that as she attempted to turn over and get up. She only managed a kneeling position as the fake Eva charged her again. It leapt towards her and was about to impact when a massive explosion hit it on the left side and sent it reeling. It's left side torso and even head were all disfigured but it dissolved again and reappeared in front of Asuka's saviour, Ayanami Rei. Ayanami was unprepared for the hit as it came from the side. The fake unit 02 then sat on the fallen unit 00 and started to beat it with it's fists. Rei felt every hit and promptly grunted in pain as they grew faster and stronger. She managed to block a few of the next hits and she even get her prog-knife into it's chest but it still kept at her. Asuka by then had recovered and tackled the fake EVA, thus freeing Rei from it's dominant position. Asuka almost had it into a head lock when the shadow dissolved again, Asuka fell flat on her face and mentioned a few "colourful" curses as she stood up again. She stood up and viewed the scene. Other then the mess from all the fighting and unit 00 standing where it was pinned nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That was until Ayanami said that the shadow was between them. Asuka looking at the ground saw a dark shadow was between the 2 EVA's. Even as Asuka wondered at how to get away from the sea of Shadows, the shadows all withdrew into itself. It stood up right as tall as several EVA's on each others shoulders. A small bubble formed along it's body and formed a blue sphere at the top of it's body.  
  
"Pattern is now BLUE!" Hyuga screamed into the comm channel.  
  
The sphere looked at both the EVA's standing ready and then with drew into itself again.  
  
"Pattern reverted to RED" Aoba and Hyuga said at the same time.  
  
The giant monolith shadow split into 2 halfs and formed into exact copies of the 2 EVA's standing against it. They're black and grey colours the only really difference between them.  
  
---  
  
"This puts a new spin on 'to face one's self'" Asuka commented into the radio. Shinji heard all things and knew exactly what was happening. It was the shadow he dreamt about. He also remembered one part of the message. To each must fall 3. He also remembered them saying he had 1 already...he was confused but he knew what the out come was. An unsettling sense of calm over came him and he released the controls that he had gripped so tightly while listening to the battle above ground.  
  
---  
  
Asuka and Ayanami seemed to be holding their own against the angel. Misato was watching with rapt fascination, she had let slip her standing orders for retreat because now the angel was in the city, and if they left it alone the damage it would do was anyone's guess. She didn't see anyway of beating the thing until it showed that one blue dot. She had relied her orders to each of the 2 pilots that the dot gets priority as a target. They each had given an affirmative and they both charged the fake EVA's. It was odd seeing Eva 2 and Eva 00 fighting their copies. It was even odder when the copies used the same tactics, responses and counter attacks that the pilots would do in the same situation. Only thing was that if the original was gaining an advantage the fake would reshape itself and get a sucker punch in the stunned EVA. The signs of a hard battle was evident on the EVA's as they're armour was scratched, dented and some what badly mangled in some locations. Asuka's unit 02 was getting it worse though. It the few days between the last angel attack it had it's armour replaced but it wasn't completely fixed. It still had a sluggish left armour and the left leg seemed to lock up under stress. Asuka the elite pilot she was compensated for these technicalities and almost seemed to be enjoying the fight. Ayanami was as emotionless as ever but she wore a grim mask of determination as the fight dragged on. Lucky neither had lost their power cords but that was always a threat.  
  
"Ahhh!"  
  
---  
  
"REPORT!" Hyuga turned to Misato before reporting "Unit 00 has just fallen! It's foe is sitting on it strangling it!"  
  
"AHHH! I'll Get..Youu...DIEE..." Asuka came through the other radio channel. Asuka's Eva was leaning against a building with the fake EVA 02 beating with it's fist into it's chest armour as it gripped the fake's neck. It looked very grim indeed. Misato then realized that Hyuga was saying something to her. Something about unit 01? OH UNIT 01!!!  
---  
"Shinji prepare for launch! Once you get to your destination use your cannon to knock off those fakes!" Misato said. Shinji just nodded gripped the controls and steadied himself as the Eva was launched 100 mph through the access tubes. As he arrived at the stop he almost not looking took the cannon that was given to him and loosed 2 shots with barely a second between them. Each shot hit the fakes dead on. Literally blowing them away. They hit the ground and dissolved again this time though they formed the shadow and the blue eye stared at them. It stared only long enough to see Asuka's progressive knife cut right through it. With the knife sticking out of it's "eye" it fell into itself and blew up in a large cross shaped explosion. Shinji could just over hear something over the com...listening closely he heard it was Asuka.  
  
"...told ya...your dead..."  
  
---  
  
"Current observations show that there's no increase to the pilot's "systems" since the wave of new angels. I recommend that we release them. No need to keep them in the lab" Ritsuko stated. She had watched if the pilots had experienced any mental or physical changes from contact with these "angels" but nothing had been recorded that was out of the ordinary, considering the usual things imposed of the 2 pilots. Asuka was vastly peeved and demanded satisfaction for her uncomfortable treatments and being forced to share the same medical ward with the third child. Shinji was just glad to be out of the stuffy white rooms and the truly bizarre tests Ritsuko put them through. Ritsuko's test found nothing yet, during the night both of the children experienced odd sleeping fits. Ritsuko put that in her reports and she knew Gendo already knew everything that could ever happen. As she rattled on about her observers Gendo sat in his desk in the dark empty room with Fuyutsuki standing to his right. She could have almost sworn that his mouth formed into a sort of sneer when she told him about the sleeping fits. She somehow knew this fit into his plan, she just didn't know how.  
  
"Keep us informed doctor" Gendo said and Ritsuko left with the black door sliding behind her returning the room to silence. Fuyutsuki remained standing beside Gendo both seemed lost in thought.  
  
"So...Those that we fought against couldn't stop these from coming either...perhaps even SEELE wasn't ready for this" Fuyutsuki said. Gendo could only nod. But past his white gloves, he was smiling.  
  
---  
  
Misato dropped off her charges at the ground level of the apartment before taking off again. As major she did have a few duties to take care of and she also said the fridge was completely empty, so she'd pick up a few things on her way back.  
"Ah finally! It's never been so good to be in this old...mein Gott" Asuka had entered Misato's apartment holding her bags with a look of glee until she saw the mess that awaited her and Shinji inside. Beer cans, garbage bags, dirty dishes, you name it it was probably somewhere in all those piles of junk. Asuka could only stand in the door frame and stare in utter silence.  
  
"Asuka what is it? Let me through it can't be too bad!" Shinji said behind her. Asuka turned around took 2 steps out the door and sat on her bags looking at the ground. Shinji walked through the door and sighed.  
  
"Well...this sure brings back memories..." Shinji stated as he too exited the door ad placed his things against the outside wall. Asuka looked up to him with an odd look of bewilderment on her face.  
  
"You've seen it that bad before?" She stated pointing through the door. Shinji only nodded.  
  
"Actually it's pretty tame from the first day I moved in..." Shinji stated as he begun to "tunnel" his way into the apartment. Asuka stated as Shinji was lost from her view and a lot of shuffling was heard.  
  
"I almost believe your 'war stories' of how long it took you to adjust to Misato...I also believe you about the mess when you first arrived" She said. Shinji poked his head and the door and motioned her inside. Asuka seemed to have awoken from the shock and she grabbed her bags and followed Shinji through the door.  
  
"AHHHH, WHAT DID I JUST STEP ON!!!"  
  
"WARK!!!!!" Shinji could only watch as Pen-Pen unearthed himself under neither Asuka's foot. Asuka settled down and picked up the startled and ruffled penguin. She carried him over to his fridge and he patted her on the shoulder, as if he knew she wasn't at fault. Shinji had already begun massive reconstructing cleaning efforts along the main hall leading to the front door. Asuka never saw Shinji working like this before, it was almost like watching some Anime cartoon as he went about removing garbage, wiping the walls, sorting bags, removing dishes and then vacuuming the regions that were cleared...he just did it so fast. He saw her watching him and made a comment.  
  
"Faster or not with my help doesn't change the fact that it's your turn to do the cleaning she stated pointing at the calender. See? Tuesday, cleaning, Shinji" she said with a dominating smile on her face. Shinji's eye narrowed and said she lost a lot of time and said that it was the 16th not the 15th as she said.   
  
"Urk...Wednesday?" She developed a slight sweat drop at the back of her head. She didn't need to look at the schedule, Wednesday was her chore day. She quickly recovered.  
  
"But your doing such a good job! I wouldn't want to stop my Baka-kun from doing what he's best at!" She smiled feeling like she just avoided a punch to the head.  
  
"Well do you want to help then?"  
  
"What?! You do it, not me!"  
  
"I wasn't talking to you" Shinji pointed past her. Pen-Pen had picked up an over sized broom and had begun managing some of the garbage into piles.  
  
"Dummkopf! a pet doing it's owners duties..." Asuka signed and grabbed the broom from Pen-Pen and helped Shinji. One hour later the apartment was back to what it once was...excluding the new beer stains littering the floor in uneven patterns. Thankfully the mess didn't spread into their rooms else they would have been busy for maybe another half an hour.  
  
"I can see why you got stuck with most of the cleaning chores" Asuka stated sipping her soda. Shinji was also sipping one that was labelled...well it was a by-product of orange juice as far as he knew. He finished his drink and looked over at Asuka who was still looking around at the apartment.  
  
"I should have taken a picture or something. Hikari would never believe me if I told her about this" Shinji only nodded. Thinking he too could have used it to show the dark side of Misato to Kensuke and Togi. Maybe they'd stop swooning over Misato for a day...nah not them. A thought seemed to have surfaced to Shinji's mind, but he drowned it with the reality that the only person he could ask was Asuka. The reality drowned the thought like a brick on a paper boat.  
  
"What is it Shinji?" Asuka had noticed his sudden silence, or maybe even his unasked question?  
  
"Nothing...just thinking...about why...nah it's nothing don't worry" Shinji said. He forgot what the question was too. He held a puzzled look on his face and Asuka stared into him. Growing bored(we all know Asuka's a trouble maker when bored ^.~) she got a few ideas of what he might have thought of and decided to tease him. Why it must have been a day since she last teased him!  
  
"Shhiiiiiinnnjjjiiiiiiii" she drawled out with a slight lisp. Shinji was ripped right out of his thinking as he saw the grin that Asuka wore only when she had some devious plot thought out. Shinji panicked and wondered silently what she was going to do now. He barely stuttered out a reply.  
  
"Y...yea..eah? Asu..k..uka...?" Asuka felt in control again. In fact she felt great! She finally felt 100% invincible.  
  
"So what are your current thoughts about living with a hero?" Shinji blinked a few times stunned...and confused. Where'd she get that idea? She noticed his lack of answer and started to get annoyed.  
  
"I got the angel kill dummkopf!! Or don't you remember?!" Shinji then wondered...was it really that important to argue about...he thought not as he saw her grow annoyed again.  
  
"OHHH YEAH! Excellent work Asuka! Really Good work! Ah I bet it never saw it coming!" Shinji stumbled out strings of words hoping to not piss her off. She caught the last line and decided to hear it wrong. Putting a very Asuka Langley Sohryu face on she bashed her soda onto the table top and stood over Shinji.  
  
"YOU IMPLYING THAT CAUSE YOU HAVE A BETTER SYNC RATE THEN ME, THAT ONLY YOU COULD GET AN ANGEL KILL!?!!?!?" It had the desired effect. Poor Shinji slid back on his seat and nearly was hiding under the table.  
  
"To rectify your insult your going to take me out to the most expensive restaurant in town!" Asuka seemed to cool down a bit having finally gotten Shinji to agree and she finished her drink and winked at him as she left for her room. Shinji only remained in his really uncomfortable hiding positions until she closed the door. He sat down again and breathed a sign of relief. Relief that she hadn't hit him at all and that he was finally without her wrath. However he begun to sweat as he realized he had no money other then what was in his personal account. Didn't EVA pilots get paid!? This is something Misato was going to get an ear full from Shinji. When she got back of course.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
*Hot air Zone detected avert eyes to avoid idiocy*  
  
I'm feeling A-OK! I've gotten my second chapter up and i'm feeling like i'm cruising!...Tell ya da truth? I had started making this fic before I knew how to spell some of the secondary character names correctly so it took me like an hour just fixing all the Aoda and Fuyuski spelling mistakes and such. 8)  
  
So Read review(or flame) I'd love to have a few opinions to work with. I don't plan to reveal any of the secrets that are building up for a few chapters. You'll know when I'm warming up to the idea of spilling the beans when SEELE starts popping in a few times. And don't expect a new chapter soon. I'm sorta gonna be vacationing for a few days. So until then...  
  
~VIVE LA ASUKA!~ 


	3. The Games We Play

(Insert disclaimer here)-- All characters listed here are products of Gainax. This is a fanfic and thus it's given out for free and most likely doesn't follow much (if anything) in the story line...so suing me wouldn't accomplish much nor win you anything(Cause I'm penniless and you'd lose more then me in a court battle as stated before, I'm penniless). These characters are used without permission so there!  
  
"words" is speech  
**words** is computer text  
  
The start of this fic is somewhere after the 11th angel(Misato's a Major) and I've seen about a dozen different last names for Asuka. I've had a constant headache from all that, so in this fic she's Asuka Langley *SOHRYU* not Soryu, not Souryu(Oh that one peeved me off) and not what ever little pet names you've come up with her! With that said...  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
ACallingOfSouls  
Chapter 03 : The games we play...  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Misato finally got back to her apartment. She knew it was a mess when she left Asuka and Shinji to head back in. She actually did have a decent reason for driving away leaving them to deal with the mess...she didn't want to get stuck helping out too. Well there were better reasons but the earlier fact encouraged her to finish the other ones that day. Hyuga had said that she would have to fill out a few performance sheets, for a few of the leaving NERV employees. Odd as that was, some people did have lives outside of angel attacks and they were leaving for their own reasons. None of the key personal were allowed to leave, due to the fact that they knew a bit too much to be released. This little detail lasted her deep into the night and as she was leaving through the door, Ritsuko decided that she needed an up date of EVA performances and new weapons that were being developed. Misato could have given Ritsuko the stare of death if it wasn't for the fact that there had been no coffee in the NERV cafeteria, and beer was unheard of in HQ. Misato was at half power as Ritsuko gave her the descriptions, power requirements, ammo types and EVA's best suited to use each one. Misato could have sworn she was sleeping with her eyes open but Ritsuko didn't notice, or maybe she did cause that's when she finished and commented Misato go home and sleep. Misato somehow stumbled through the hall towards the apartment and leaned against the door.  
  
Shinji opened the door because Misato's fore head was against the ring button and a very annoying ring was continuously ringing. However he wasn't ready for Misato to fall over him since she lost her only sense of balance, the door. Asuka had also woken up by the ringing and was storming about looking for something(mostly Shinji) to beat on to vent her frustrations. She however wasn't prepared for Shinji's yelp so she peered around the corner of the room into the hall. Shinji was flushed red, she could almost hear a count down from the throbbing of his nose till it burst. However he seemed to have tunnelled out of her embrace and was attempting to pick her up. Misato seemed to shift from a state of sleep, drunken movements and odd flailing movements as she muttered something about beer, men and work. Asuka's graze was found by Shinji and he mouthed the words "DON'T JUST STAND THERE, HELP!" which is what Asuka did. Together they dragged Misato back to her room and let her slip into her mess that could only be her bed. Asuka and Shinji left for their rooms soon after Misato curled up mumbling something about apartment being too clean again.  
  
"Double or nothing?" Asuka asked Shinji who could only stare at her. Then he smiled and then said he'd take the bet.  
  
---  
  
Misato woke up the next day and found herself in her mess of a bed and had a splitting headache...It kept throbbing to a rhythm...of the phone? She gingerly reached out and dragged the noisy distraction to her.  
  
"...llo?"  
  
"I see your up and early Misato"  
  
"...Ritsuko? what you wanting Dis early in DA morning?"  
  
"Afternoon Misato. I've decided to run tests on the new weaponry using the EVAs. It's been scheduled two hours from now" Misato at this point had reverted to a sitting position and was beginning to understand human tongue again. She checked the clock she left around the bed and it read 3:12.  
  
"Yeah sure, Ritsuko. I'll be there in time, don't *yawn* worry" Misato hung up the phone and exited her room. Pen-Pen wasn't anywhere to be seen but the apartment was almost spotless, other then a few new stains on that rug Asuka hates. Misato grabbed her Yebisu from the fridge and swallowed the contents like she was in the middle of a desert. After her resounding echo died out, she found she had an audience. Asuka was watching from the living room and Shinji poking his head out of the door.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Told ya!"  
  
"But she didn't follow the exact plan! Half and half take it or leave it" Shinji said facing Asuka.  
  
"Hey you chickening out or what!?" Asuka claimed giving up her interest with the TV and facing Shinji. Shinji backed a bit but didn't let down.  
  
"You stated that if she was awoken from her alarm clock second thing she'd do is reach for the beer! She was awoken from a phone call" Shinji said.  
  
"WHAT!! You dare make me cook dinner!? Fine then" Asuka said giving up. Misato just stood in the middle and attempted to figure why they argued over her and if she was getting predictable. Over this time she didn't notice the hub-bub picking up again.  
  
"HEY you turned off her alarm clock!" Asuka said  
  
"Well...it's all fair considering you put in 3 other alarm clocks after I left her!" Shinji stated back bluntly.  
  
"You saying I tried to Cheat!? You!! YOU!" Asuka was just in swatting reach of Shinji.  
  
"Pretty smart Shinji!" Asuka only looked over from where she was, to the beaming Misato.  
  
"Your taking his side!? But we're women! He's only a boy!!! How dare you attempt to divide us Misato!" Asuka was bellowing at both of them for no reason at this point. Just as Asuka was attempting to make another point Misato stated  
  
"New testing in an hour and a half" Misato pointed to the clock stating her point.  
  
"That's still plenty of time for Asuka to cook us something!" Stated Shinji barely holding back a smile. Misato only gurgled a response lifting the beer can to her face.  
  
"JUST ENOUGH TIME FOR ME TO KICK YOUR DUMMKOPF ASS!" Asuka screamed chasing after a retreating Shinji.  
  
---  
  
"OW OW OW OW OW OW!"  
  
"Are you two still fighting?!" Ritsuko said over the main comm channel. Asuka's EVA just swatted Shinji's. Ritsuko didn't know why but lately hostilities have picked up between the pilots. Rei was very quiet and barely said a word as she followed the exercises as ordered but somehow she didn't seem like she always was. Shinji and Asuka though were visibly arguing over the comm channel and in the exercises. They'd surpass their own scores just to mock the other until they themselves were beaten. So they'd go at it again setting new records. It was almost growing into a confrontation really. Ritsuko just hoped they didn't use those new weapons on each other.  
  
"Ritsuko...perhaps it's been a long time since these pilots let out any steam. They have begun to show stress and their Sync scores were dipping a bit lately" Maya said still watching the tests go on. The verbal chatter between Asuka and Shinji was still continuing. Ritsuko sighed as she saw the scores again rise in accuracy and precision. They'd been at it for hours now and they didn't seem willing to stop until they're score was untouchable. Perhaps Maya was right. They did need to blow off some steam in a more eventful way. That's when one of the techs conversations was over heard.  
  
"I'm gonna dress up as a...well...I was thinking maybe a vampire"  
  
"Vampire huh? If your gonna be that then I'm gonna be Frankenstein!"  
  
Apparently Misato overheard this herself and was staring at the techs. They hushed immediately and went back to work. Misato obviously didn't know what that was about but Ritsuko had an idea in her head. Perhaps, we could make a holiday this month! She went over to the two techs once the 3 pilots rested awaiting for another round to test themselves that Ritsuko stood in front of the two conversationalists.  
  
"SIR!" they both said standing up from their seats.  
  
"So tell me, were you talking about a party or something just now?" the techs eyed each other. They had been from overseas and weren't of Japanese descent. One got a smirk on his face and replied.  
  
"Sorry ma'am we won't disturb you any more"  
  
"Granted, now tell me what was this party about?" the 2 techs stood silent for a moment before answering.  
  
"A hallowe'en party Sir" They slightly grinned, as some of the other techs decided to listen into the conversation.  
  
"What date is this party set for?" Ritsuko knew a bit of what hallowe'en was, for she had travelled the world while working for NERV.  
  
"Well, as a normal traditional hallowe'en party would be, this one is on the 31st of October"  
  
"Very well thank you for informing me" Ritsuko then left the test room for a bit and wandered off to what some would guess as the commanders office.  
  
---  
  
"A hallowe'en party? Well that's one thing I never expected from her" Fuyutsuki said as he watched her leave the commander office. Gendo had agreed to it, which was rather odd in Fuyutsuki's mind.  
  
"Oh come now, good sensei. Even you know, that good students need to let loose once in awhile to continue functioning" Gendo said his gaze still facing forward his hands cupped in front of his mouth. Fuyutsuki only shrugged. Odd or not, it wasn't so bad. In the past month no angels had attacked, the city had begun to grow back to what it once was and the staff of NERV were getting bored of routine and tests.  
  
"If you say so sir...but?"  
  
"What sub-commander?" Fuyutsuki grinned as he asked his question.  
  
"You gonna be the wolf man or should I?" Gendo's only reaction was covered by his gloved hands.  
  
---  
  
Shinji had only just walked out of the pilot change rooms with slightly damp hair to be confronted by a Misasto that was grinning ear to ear. Rei was already waiting there also wondering why Misato was holding her there and Asuka was just exiting the female pilot change room. Asuka could have sworn Misato was drunk, she never seemed half as giddy otherwise.  
  
"So you guys ready to party?!"  
  
"ARGH I SHOULD HAVE KNOW!" Shinji said holding his head. That had been her party smile. Asuka herself was slightly shocked. She also didn't have a clue at what Misato was going to party about...actually Misato through a party for about any reason she could think up, so there was little warning when she did throw them. Rei only stared.  
  
"Buck up guys! I think Asuka would know what to do at this party! This one isn't a Japanese holiday" Shinji only wondered, as Asuka stood there thinking. Rei continued to stare.  
  
"A hallowe'en party!" Misato said slightly peeved that nobody could guess it.  
  
"A hail wiener party?" Shinji stuttered. Rei stared, Asuka giggled.  
  
"No silly! A hallowe'en party!" Asuka said speaking the word slowly for Shinji to understand better.  
  
"Dress up as ghouls and goblins, get candy and party away the night!" Asuka said really getting into the mood. Shinji still only wondered but he had begun to pick up a few of the ideas behind it. Rei stared.  
  
"Well that's one way to put it Asuka. You really have much experience in the subject?" Misato said as they turned to walk down the hall.  
  
"Well, in collage we did celebrate it once. It was amazing seeing all the black and orange decorations littered around the school. It was fun too!" Asuka continued to talk about all the things that she had seen relating to hallowe'en.  
  
"Well, I guess it's Asuka's duty to decorate the apartment" Misato said was the 4 walked down the halls. "For some reason the commander practically ordered everyone that this holiday will be celebrated!"  
  
"Well...things sure are weird...The city will be celebrating a non-Japanese holiday, in order to better relax...what?" Shinji said to Rei as she stared off into the wall as if it held all the answers.  
  
"If I am ordered to" Rei said before walking off. Asuka only watched Rei leave for a second before commenting and running off herself. Shinji only wondered as he boarded an elevator that was heading back to Tokyo-3.  
  
---  
  
"Wow-EE!" Kensuke said. He was sitting on the edge of Shinji's desk the next day and was being informed of all the new details that his friend was informing him of. Togi was sitting deftly to the right of Shinji as he too listened in to Shinji's plight. Actually it didn't sound all that bad but with Asuka being the one leading the festivities, it just couldn't be good.  
  
"And your sure that *Togi nods towards Asuka* she has to be the one to tell us what to do?" Togi said. Shinji sat at his desk and obviously looked tired. If he told them why rumours would fly around the school like hotcakes at an all-you-can-eat. Shinji just nodded before replacing his head back on his desk. Kensuke didn't seem finished with him yet and begun to poke him.  
  
"You do realize that this is gonna be like the biggest thing for a long time you know!" Shinji only stared back at Kensuke as Togi seemed to catch onto Kensuke's train of thought.  
  
"Yeah. I just remembered!!! This is gonna be like the biggest event for a LONG time!" Shinji now moved his gaze over to Togi and some of the class was moving their gazes over to Togi's conversation. Asuka had also looked over but seeing how they didn't even mention females she went back to gossiping with Hikari in the back corner.  
  
"You do know don't you Shinji?!" Kensuke asked after seeing Shinji's blank expression towards Togi.  
  
"There's gonna be a big parade!!!" Togi and Kensuke declared at once. This drew the attention of the whole class. Stooge #2,3 both turned slightly red and shooed off looks directed towards them. At this point the professor came in and Hikari went into auto-matic.  
  
"Stand up! Bow! Sit down!"  
It wasn't until the professor was a good way into his old recollections till Shinji got a message calling his attention away from the ceiling. Shinji only stared at it dumb founded before glancing around and answering it.  
  
**Hey what were you Stooges talking about?!**  
**Asuka**  
  
Shinji paused and looked over his shoulder to Asuka and saw her giving him an inquiring look. Shinji turned his back to her thought for a moment about giving her a nasty reply, but decided that the truth would better confuse her. Soon Asuka's screen was blinking a message too.  
  
**Well, Togi and Kensuke got excited about this "holiday" of yours**  
**Shinji**  
  
Asuka only wondered, why would Stooges be so excited over this thing? She promptly typed the question, Shinji typed back immediately.  
  
**Beats me. However they were really interested with   
the idea of a parade...Was that your idea?**  
**Shinji**  
  
Shinji could hear Asuka say "Parade? What the..." before another message popped up on his screen.  
  
**From Asuka's gasp, I guess you guys really didn't know. There's to be a parade that night. It was said that the EVA's would be marching in it**  
**kEnSuKe**  
  
Shinji's could have sworn his eyes bulged from his head and from the looks of everyone in the class he guessed he made an outburst too. He quickly bowed, apologized to the teacher, who swiftly went back to his "speech" after everything had settled down. though Shinji could swear he still heard girls giggling in the back row somewhere.  
  
**What was that about?**  
**Asuka**  
  
Shinji then gave her several messages warning her not make another scene. Shinji knew the teacher didn't like being interrupted even if it wasn't anything important. Shinji felt like he had chalk dust in his lungs after his last interruption of the teacher. Shinji slowly typed the message Kensuke sent to him and sent it to Asuka. Silence...so quiet...Like the quiet before a storm. You could hear a pin down from down the hall if it wasn't for the professors talking. It begun as a slow moan, and quickly turned up in volume till it reached a pinnacle. The whole class now faced Asuka Langley Sohryu after she screamed out " WHAT!?!". Shinji only sighed as the teacher looked daggers towards Asuka and Shinji.  
---  
  
"Well...that sure was different" Togi commented as Asuka, Kensuke, Shinji, Togi, Hikari and Rei herself all walked towards Misato's apartment. The teacher had dropped enough homework on Shinji and Asuka that match what they had already done the rest of the year. Shinji looked down and Asuka looked down right whipped.  
  
"Well...I guess...two interruptions...is just too much for him to let slip..." said a half dead Shinji. Asuka and him were carrying all the books Sensei had given them, and they felt and probably looked like a pack horse with all the things he was carrying. Asuka then seemed to perk up much like an EVA when attached to a power cord.  
  
"Hmm. I really want to check up with Ritsuko and Misato to see if this Parade thing is true" Asuka said. Kensuke and Togi only looked at her as if she suddenly turned into a cup of hot chocolate; odd how it happened but inviting.  
  
They continued to walk until they got to Misato's apartment. There they shoved away they're school books into the corner of the hall doorway and settled around the table. Misato was just in her room and gave a half hearty hello. Shinji had gotten drinks for everyone and even put a Yebisu at Misato's usual seat. They all drank in silence letting they're drinks sooth away they're pains from the day, everyone but Rei, she just sipped. Shinji was wondering if he should go get Misato so that they could settle this parade rumour or if he should stay and "entertain" the guests a little longer. Before reaching his decision though the sync training he and Asuka shared must have held in effect as she thought the same thing, but unlike her spineless counter part she didn't feel like waiting.  
  
"Hey Misato! We need you to help us answer this question we got" Asuka said breaking the silence as she walked in front of the door. She knocked on it and heard Misato's reply to come in. Asuka did and promptly gasped. This gasp was very noticeable as the whole table turned towards Misato's door as it hung open but nothing inside it could be seen.  
  
"Your not...going out in that...in public? Right...?" Shinji heard Asuka the same as everyone else, but he blushed like somebody poured red paint all over him, if Asuka had seem him she might have thought he was unit 02 he was so red.  
  
Kensuke and Togi only grinned at each other as they're boyish thoughts took hold of them. Hikari saw this and was frowning deeply and Rei sat sipping her drink. Shinji almost knew what Asuka was talking about was the costume Misato brought with her last night when she came in. Misato said it was something like "Frankenstein's Wife"? It was a VERY loose dress with fish net stockings and gave very generous views of cleavage. He knew this only from looking at the dress in her bag...He almost got a nose bleed just thinking about Misato wearing it. This fact wasn't missed by Kensuke and Togi and they grinned even more. Hikari didn't know what was going on but she frowned deeper and was developing a twitch. Asuka had at this point walked out of Misato's room and gave the Stooges the look of death, clearly indicating "NOT TO ENTER THIS ROOM". Regardless of what Asuka did to deter them, Misato poked her upper body past the door frame and waved at the crowd. Togi and Kensuke fall over in seeming bliss, Shinji clamped his eyes and nose shut with his hands, Hikari's foot was on a collision course with Togi while Asuka shoved Misato back into her room. Rei just sipped her drink peacefully.  
  
"Miii-saaatoo..."Droolled Stooge #2 and 3. Hikari had enough of this and was whooping some sense into Togi While Asuka was barely holding her sides from splitting at seeing Shinji holding both hands over his face which was beet red. Misato soon came out dressed more 'normal' (well for Misato, and this still meant that Togi and Kensuke were in a dream like state)  
  
"So you guys wanted me for something?" Hikari and Asuka slapped the closet stooge to them after seeing there faces from Misato's question. Luckily Shinji wasn't one of them. as Rei made for an effective wall.  
  
"Well Misato...Kensuke's started up a massive rumour of a hollow'd weed parade" Asuka could only stare at Shinji's poor pronunciation. Misato herself giggled a bit but didn't correct him.  
  
"Well, your right on both accounts. There's a big parade being planned. Floats, bands and somehow it seemed to put EVA in there too" Misato said. She clearly stated the idea was hers and had a grin ear to ear to go with the words. Shinji wasn't much for...publicity but he knew Asuka thrived off that sort of thing. Even more so cause it would allow her to show off her piloting skills to the public. She stated this fact bluntly, but Togi saw a kink in that armour and he pounced...  
  
"But no-one other then us will know your in it"  
  
This had dumbfounded Asuka and Hikari hissed at Togi. Togi still felt a bit of elation at seeing the red-headed pilot look stunned, as the realization washed over her. She still managed a come back. Due to the content of the words used I refuse to allow this to become a *LEMON*...however it invoked creative uses of Misato's cooking, PenPen's freezer, a pump up doll and a rusty pair of hedge clippers. Hikari blushed feverishly and Togi only sat with a stunned look on his face. Rei passed out, turns out she had one of Misato's beers.  
  
---  
  
"Bye!...I'm sure Asuka wasn't serious Togi, don't worry!" Shinji said as he watched the group walk down the hall before closing the door. Shinji walked back towards the living-room as Asuka's talk with Misato about the benefits of having everyone know her skills. PenPen had settled on the couch and had the remote in his flippers clicking away until he found the nature channel. He had clicked onto a news station but before switching Shinji had swiped the remote. A scuffle ensued at that as the news reporter droned on. Apparently something interesting was on because Misato and Asuka hushed them and watched the TV.  
  
"On October 31st there will be a parade at 10:30, to help celebrate hallowe'en. I'll be hosting the broadcast from the main route and giving all the details as they come in. there's word that NERV, the militia that has since begun it's life in Tokyo-3 will be adding to the showing. More news at 11!"  
  
"Weren't EVA's supposed to be a secret Misato? Like really, there's never a soul in sight when we're running around in them and anyone that is around gets reprimanded badly" Shinji said thinking over the newscasters announcement.  
  
"Well, generally speaking, EVA's were a secret but only until the Angels came. It became public knowledge they existed as soon as we deployed one" Misato said a little down trodden before continuing "However, I think after all these months, about everyone knows about their existence. This will be the first time in using an EVA for non-combat reasons. I guess I agreed with Ritsuko about the parade thing because I want to show everybody that the EVA's are on our side"  
  
This made Asuka hush anything she was about to say and they all thought about it quietly until the next day.  
  
---  
  
"A Parade...and EVA being the main show piece. This could be interesting" Fuyutsuki said in his usual position near in Gendo's office.  
  
"Yes. Make sure all security precautions are taken...we shouldn't allow too much information about them" Fuyutsuki continued. At this Gendo nodded.  
  
---  
  
"Did you hear the news?! NERV is going to actually be contributing to the parade!"  
  
"Yeah! I hope we get to see what they're going to contribute!"  
  
"I bet it's the EVA's!"  
  
"Oh that would be soo cool! I wonder what they think about it!"  
  
"Who's they?"  
  
"Asuka, Shinji and that Rei girl! You know the pilots of the EVAs!"  
  
Rei sat in her seat looking out the window again and was being 'treated' to a healthy dose of gossip from the girls a few rows behind her. Actually the whole room was gossiping at a low tone as the teacher once again rumbled off his stories of life before and after second impact. The news had confirmed Kensuke's rumour and the whole class couldn't resist talking about it. In fact a lot of the class was busy E-mailing or talking to Shinji and Asuka had a crowd around her, unlike Shinji Asuka almost lived of this attention and she told everyone around her what to expect come Hallowe'en. Rei just sat staring out the window, she didn't crave attention nor did she acknowledge it. She just watched as the world around her lived as she sat. Something did come to her though. She paused and looked over to Ikari and then Langley before going back to her cloud staring routine. who's idea was it to allow this parade?  
  
---  
  
"Maya, I see you've gotten even better! Your analyst skills sure have gotten faster. Soon I can start thinking about retirement if you keep this up" Beamed Ritsuko. Maya just finished routing through the data files of all the EVA pilots. There was another sync test today and Ritsuko had decided to match up all the data of the pilots and EVAs to see how different things will be this time. They were going to use a new EVA plug for the EVAs but first they were going to test how effective the pilots sync ratios were using the test data. The new EVA plugs were designed to give faster updates, better micro management of communications a mapping system and some other new features. The plugs looked the same on the outside but inside they had a slightly extended seat for the pilot, this was too allow more equipment to fit inside.  
  
"Doctor...don't joke about things like that. I'm still not half as fast as you" Maya said with a slight blush on her face from the compliment.  
  
"So we can expect good things Maya?"  
  
"Yes, these plugs are virtually the same so there's nothing to worry about"  
  
"Don't say that. You might just jinx us"  
  
"Could we just start this test already!?" Asuka's voice carried over the intercom. Ritsuko signed as Maya smirked.  
  
---  
  
Shinji had just entered the pilot change room. Originally the change rooms were 1. But since Shinji got there a slim ALMOST see through panel was erected were the 2 rooms had connected. It didn't do too much to block any conversations being overheard by the next room as it was proving again as Shinji over heard Asuka's rambling/ranting random cursing or whatever it was today. Shinji pressed the button on his plug suit and it depressed making it a loose fitting. As Shinji was reaching into the shower he over heard Asuka scream out...  
  
"WHAT?! Hey, that's my right wondergirl and to prove it to you..." The rest of Asuka's rambling was drowned out by Shinji's shower. This LCL crud really reeks and seems so sticky if not washed off. After coming out of the shower he over heard the ending half of Asuka's screaming...  
"...beat you any day!"  
  
Shinji only wondered what happened to make Asuka so competitive as he dressed in silence.  
  
---  
  
"Well...It's been...well...weeks since any attacks. Not that I'm sour about that. It's just that we know there are Angels still coming, so we have decided to do live training excises using the EVAs" Hyuga told Aoba.  
  
Aoba hadn't been in touch in the past few days. Actually he just came back from a short vacation. His mood was...well divided. He didn't hate working for NERV and he liked how he held a lot of the important aspects of NERV. He also wasn't crazy about the job, in fact sometimes he felt right out nasty working here. Watching children go out to fight monsters the size of most skyscrapers using equally tall mecha-monsters(his personal preference when naming EVAs) could nearly make him sick to his stomach. He knew Hyuga held many of the same feelings towards the job but not all the feelings were mutual. Hyuga seemed to have a thing for Major Katsuragi, no surprise really, she was quite the looker. Maya was off doing...well whatever the second in command of the science team of NERV.  
  
"Hmmm. Live drills with EVAs...no angels...the weather gonna be good too?"  
  
"Heh. Aoba you know almost as much as I do. In fact you probably feel the same. Though I think the EVA drills are to allow the pilots to blow off some steam before the event"  
  
"Event? Oh the hallowe'en parade? I thought that idea rocked. We get to show off our pride and joy without worrying about civilians in the battlefield eh?"  
  
"Yeah. Should be fun!"  
  
Ritsuko came into the main office at this point and took her usual position standing over Maya observing data inflow. Misato Katsuragi also came in a few seconds afterwards. The EVA drills were to take place in the geo-front, but before launching the EVAs all sensor stations were ordered to report in to make sure that no anomalies could threaten Tokyo-3 while it's valiant defenders went over combat drills in the underground geo-front.  
  
---  
  
Water...  
Ebb and flows...  
Like...red...  
Blood  
Blood...red flowing...  
LCL smelled like...  
Blood.  
tasted like...  
Blood.  
Was it...?  
  
"Shinji...you in position?" Ritsuko's words lulled Rei out of her thinking. Rei had been the first to reach her position as stated by Misato. There had been...technical difficulties with EVA 01 and 02's loading process. Perhaps it was because of the second child's anger at the third child. Rei readjusted her EVA's stance seeing the mission timer count down till go.  
  
"3...2...1...GO!"  
  
The 3 EVAs tore off as if they were professional trackstars. The first drill was a race, to gauge effectiveness of each EVA's personal potential. 20 laps around the geo-front. While the geo-front was huge without a doubt, an EVA could race along the edges for about 3 minutes at running speed per lap. Ritsuko's team of scientists charted down all the times of each lap the pilots sync rates and any other little thing they could fill a page with writing about. Shinji's unit 01 came out on top finishing it's laps first followed by Asuka's unit 02 then Rei's unit 00, it had been a neck and neck race till the end but it ended much like the crew expected. Misato had noticed a few bets taking place and while she scolded the bridge bunnies on such things Misato secretly put a few yen labelling Shinji to come out on top. Ritsuko studied the results and decided to move on to other drills. After 3 hours the EVA pilots did, jumping jacks, laps, long jumps and finally they got to the part where all the betting was being put on, wrestling. The EVA's would have only standard B-type equipment without the progressive knives or shoulder gear. It is better described as an EVA mercy fight. A lot of bets were being laid the current favoured winners were Shinji 46%, Asuka 31%, Rei 23% based on the bets placed.  
  
This had been the time that Asuka was waiting for. She decided to announce her challenge.  
  
"Ohhh Rei?"  
  
"What is it pilot Sohryu?"  
  
"Remember that I told you I'd fight you for the right to lead that parade?" Shinji moaned at hearing Asuka announce this. She was making this personal, and Shinji somehow felt that someone was going to get hurt.  
  
"Asuka, is this even appropriate at this time!?" Shinji making himself heard. Asuka's com channel flicked to life and she had enough fire in her eyes to make her hair seem frizzled out.  
"What times better then now?" Asuka seemed to get a glow about her, if something was related to Asuka's pride she'd do anything to fulfil it.  
  
"Fine" Rei and Shinji said. Asuka beamed...again.  
  
"Me vs Wondergirl! You can wait your turn to be stomped later" Asuka declared. Ritsuko who was monitoring/conducting the drills, only shrugged. It didn't matter to her how these were carried out just as long as minimal damage to the EVAs occurs and data is collected.  
  
"Unit 00 and Unit 02 will spar first, you wait off a bit to the side Shinji until their done" Shinji obeyed Ritsuko's orders. Both unit 02 and unit 00 stared off at each other, Shinji could have sworn it was a mock wild west stand off from one of Kensuke's cheesy movie collection. There seemed to be tension in the air as the two EVAs bore into each others gaze. They rose their hands together and relaxed into each others grips. Ritsuko announced go and both EVAs lurched forward attempting to bend the other to it's will. Ritsuko nearly did a little jig, she was so thrilled at all the data coming through.  
  
In the geo-front the 2 EVAs are getting they're legs into the mix and have begun wandering around. Asuka almost had the first victory nearly toppling Rei over at the sound of the go. Rei being the trooper she was, merely shifted her stance and Asuka found she had a real contender. Shinji stared in awe of the EVA's staring eye to eyes as their grips tightened. Rei usually wasn't so fierce but Rei had been ordered to test the limits of her EVA and Asuka was a natural born star that had a bad tendency to hold nothing back, together they scuffled tearing up the ground they battled over. Finally Asuka's EVA had lost it's balance and Rei claimed the first victory. Asuka fumed as Shinji was matched against Rei after a short break.  
  
The EVA's gripped their hands together and peered into each others eyes and Ritsuko announced go! Rei as ordered set her EVA on full force but Shinji matched her tit for tat. Once again the EVAs roamed around the geo-front each attempting to unbalance their foe. Shinji almost lost as Rei tripped up Shinji in the over turned soil from her last bout, but Shinji made it up to her and neatly soaked her by forcing her into the lake. The slick mud made the EVA lose it's footing and Shinji stood on top of the pile that was Ayanami Rei. Asuka grumbled something about sexist-pigs and Shinji forced to defend himself agreed to her mercy fight as well. Another massive struggle ensued with no rest to EVA 01 after it's bout with unit 00. Shinji and Asuka finally gave up to a draw when Ritsuko announced the time was up the geo-front was rather...messy with a many of EVA foot prints littering the ground. However Asuka, hadn't finished with the pilots yet.  
  
"We'll settle this another day then children!"  
  
Shinji only stared at Asuka's image and after it winked off he commented "Your only a child yourself"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
*Hot air Zone detected avert eyes to avoid idiocy, babbling and senseless author ramblings*  
  
Well after a nice(shivers) long(breaks out in a sweat) vacation(in hell), I've had a whole new inspiration come into my life... However after waking, I passed it off as bad gas and went back to sleep.  
  
I have a seriously bad tendency of forgetting to add characters into the fic(slaps forehead). So I'm trying to make Cameo appearances of each character at least once... I'll tell ya one thing. I just can't type a decent Rei Ayanami(well one that isn't OOC) And this has flustered me to no end.  
  
Allow me to give useless banter about myself. I'm a slacker, a wiener, undermotivated-inanimate-dimwitted-coach potato. Yet I can still whip off this piece of Cra...ss fiction with some satisfaction. Now that we got that cleared up! My new leash on life(brush with death) from my vacation has given me ideas on what to do! First off would be to stop typing this and place the next chapter eh?... Well your right. No rest for the weary...or me for that matter. 


	4. Facing The Mirror Of Ourselves

All characters listed here are products of Gainax. This is a fanfic and thus it's given out for free and most likely doesn't follow much (if anything) in the story line...so suing me wouldn't accomplish much nor win you anything(Cause I'm penniless and you'd lose more then me in a court battle as stated before, I'm penniless). These characters are used without permission so there!  
  
Ok, so I managed to get this together. Ahem, I'm gonna have to flip the world around a bit on our heroes as things are going crazy. So expect oddities and weirdness to become common place...*grumble* I hate spellcheck...I really am thinking about making a fanfiction like "Adventures in Spellchecking!" or something... *Grumble*  
  
"...." is talking  
*....* is text  
'....' is something that is being noted or expressed differently  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
  
  
ACallingOfSouls  
Chapter 04 : Facing The Mirror of Ourself's  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Perhaps...it wasn't so bad, this time...I wish that I'd never have to pilot again though...every time before..."  
  
Shinji stood in front of eva 01 talking to it staring at it's features. The purple head stares at him almost as if measuring his soul. Shinji stood still in his plug suit long after all the drills and technicians left. No one was around and Shinji looked at the eva like a puppy would look at it's mother for protection.  
  
"I need answers... But I don't know where to find them..." Shinji turned around and rested his back against a railing that stood in front of the eva's nose. Shinji stared off towards eva 02 over on the far wall. Asuka had long left also leaving her eva in the care of the technicians. She seemed...so...  
  
"Strong...I wish...sometimes I wish, I had another reason to use you" finishing his thought with speech then facing the eva again. A look not uncommon on Shinji's face. One of loneliness. Shinji stared at the giant both staring at each other as if lost in thought.  
  
"I wish...that the pain would go..." With this Shinji walked towards the pilot change rooms leaving the eva where it docked. It's eyes still looked forward unmoving as if Shinji was still there.  
  
---  
  
Days later Shinji sat in class as the teacher was again rambling off about second impact. 'Second impact' Shinji thought. The thing that caused world wide flooding...and caused the Earth to forever shift in it's axis. This caused a permanent summer in Japan and everyday was a summer day, even in what was supposed to be winter. Really the only indication of what season it currently was, was to check the stars. The stars still had the same patterns regardless of what the weather was. Shinji had never seen snow nor falling leaves in fall and winter. The teacher talked about how their were such differences, but this didn't hold any of the students attention because the teacher had told them about it perhaps 100 times already. Shinji only stared out the window to his left, many of the students were either gently gossiping, reading or wasting time with the teachers back turned. It was an ordinary school day. Ordinary for all but Shinji. Shinji stared out the window and was thinking deeply about why he was there. He had been offered a decision before...he could remember that because he chose to live. When he chose that his eva had been seen in it's most horrible state as it burst out of the 12th angel. He was told how his eva stood like a beast as it howled at the moon before he was pulled out of his eva. This happened only 3 days ago. Staring out the window Shinji saw that a lot of the city was clearly missing...the buildings that got absorbed with eva 01 hadn't returned and the clear zone was...It was covered in blood... Whole city blocks that had been there 4 days ago were replaced by a dried river of blood. It looked like a giant had punched the city wounding it. Clean up crews had been working for days and had done a good job, some of the buildings were being reconstructed as he watched. Shinji saw that Rei wasn't looking outside for once. Truly odd...This past week was bad for everyone. Thinking back at the decision he was given...he felt his reasons...were correct.  
  
"Wait...what decision?...what reasons..." Shinji mumbled to himself. His line of thought was forever disrupted by the sound of work crews cleaning up the mess outside.  
  
---  
  
"Useless...Why me?" Asuka stood in front of her eva staring at it, it's 4 eyes gazing lazily forward. Ritsuko had just finished another series of drills in the geo-front and the pilots were just docking now. Asuka looking over her back could see Shinji standing near his eva with a shrug of his shoulders he seemed...resigned and then walked to the pilot change rooms. Asuka watched him leave and she faced her own eva once again. She watched her eva as it watched her.  
  
"I beat him in the drills but I know he didn't even try...I've seen him do better..." Asuka grumbled to her eva. The eva stared back.  
  
"What's the point in being the best if no one is even going to try?" She signed and stared back at the 4 eyes. She signed and left.  
  
"Being number 1 is pointless if you didn't earn it"  
  
The eva's response was more staring.  
  
---  
  
Across the pacific Ocean in the replacement NERV 2nd branch activation room. Numbers roll across the screen in front of a man wearing a lab coat. The numbers vary in colour of red and green. The man sighs lightly and he gazes up at the eye that stared back at him. This is what everyone is so worried about...  
  
"Evangelion" The man said matter of factly.  
  
He sat in a chair and looked up from the screens back into the eye that gazed at him. The screen continued to spout nonsense directing for him to pay attention but the man didn't bother. He'd seen the sea of Dirac that swallowed NERV 2nd branch and he knew Evangelion unit 4 was lost. This was bad news for the Americans. He snickered at that. The Americans always worried about silly things when the real trouble was off else where.  
  
"With the American's prize gone they would have been screwed, if it wasn't for the fact that we were also building up this baby" He stared again at the eye which levelled with him in the control room.  
  
SEELE must have been rubbing there hands in glee at seeing their Sea Scrolls prove them right. SEELE had given out orders to give up all eva production and use all the semi built models as left overs to make the mass-production models SEELE demanded. This man that sat at his terminal looked longingly at his prize, his life's work. This eva had no designation because it was built in secret. The American's were breathing down his neck to salvage it for the eva-series. Technically speaking the eva was 'incomplete', but it was stable enough that it could function and it's construction had been sped up.  
  
"I won't give it up...the kid needs it..." With this the man darkens the rooms lights and sets about working in the gloom of the office with only the screen lighting his face.  
  
---  
  
Misato could have sworn she been dragged through the streets she had driven on. She was sitting in the cafeteria of NERV sipping a coffee thinking how a beer could really feel good about now as the lights suddenly dimmed and turned red. The intercom immediately came on.  
  
"Stage 2 alert! Major Katsuragi to the main office. I repeat! Stage 2 alert!" The intercom reported. Upon arrival in the main office Misato saw the bridge bunnies hopping around managing their duties, Ritsuko behind Maya and both commanders at the commander level platform.  
  
"What's going on? Angel?" Misato asked as she ran in. Ritsuko turned and addressed Misato.  
  
"Yes. This one is in the northern hemisphere. Not a threat to us yet but it's coming this way"  
  
"Well. What's the satellites show us?" At Misato's question the main screen switched to a satellite feed. Showing a dark figure moving through the water, it's image was distorted from the water. It was large though no doubt about it. The image pulled back and it showed that for whatever reason it was moving across the Atlantic at varyingly fast speeds.  
  
"We have about 3 days before it reaches Japan, but that's only if it doesn't make a side trip on the way. It'll reach the United States coast in 23 hours" Ritsuko reported.  
  
"It's not normal for angels to appear so far away from Japan...What's the word from the United States?" Misato was glancing between the main screen and Hyuga's monitor.  
  
"They seem anxious to say the least. The creatures path, that's if it maintains it's course, would make it pass only one city fairly closely but otherwise they don't seem to have worried so much" Aoba stated before continuing "They're asking...or rather begging us to get a few evas over there"  
  
Gendo who was sitting in the command seat barely suppressed a smile. He'd already discussed with the American counsellor and NERV was going to gain quite a bit of muscle from the American NASA program as a part of a deal they struck. Fuyutsuki also knew about that as he was present in the meeting. NERV would be sending 2 evas and America would be in his debt. He shifted his glasses and the light reflected off them.  
  
"We will have evas unit 01 and 02 launched to intercept the target" Gendo stated. Misato   
nodded and began ordering for transports and cargo to be readied.  
  
---  
  
They only had 22 hours and 46 minutes before the angel got to land. When the eva's took flight, with Misato Ritsuko the pilots and the support crew were on their way.  
  
At 14 hours and 5 minutes the angel decided to change directions...this time headed for a major city...The eva's would be 14 minutes late.  
  
At 11 hours and 39 minutes the man at the monitor in the replacement 2nd branch made a decision.  
  
"SEELE can rot for all I care..."  
  
---  
  
Machine guns, missile launches and the giants presence could all be heard. Explosions were coming closer and closer to the city of Chicago. The America army backed with UN were attempting to buy time but everyone knew it was only a fool's hope as the angel came closer and closer barely even bothering to acknowledge the troops...when they were lucky. The angel's form came out into view and suddenly lifted up it's arms. It raised an AT field at the same time. It spread it out like a blanket crushing missile platforms, tanks and infantry against the ground. It then swatted aside U.N VTOL craft like pesky flies. The angel's form was somewhat similar to the 4th angels. Only it didn't hover, it slithered across the ground it's green carapace glistened as the sunlight reflected off it. Also...it had a rack of teeth in it's mouth. It's core wasn't on the outside of it's body either. And where the 4th angel had tentacles this thing had spiny legs ending with scissor like claws. It dragged itself slashing a tank in half that dared to block it. It was getting closer to something. That something was...  
  
---  
  
"A demon! Nothing can stop it!" The officer shouted in the mobile command centre. He had been told that these things were big, ugly and damn strong but he thought he could have bought those few extra minutes needed for the eva's to get here in time. He was wrong looking at the clock the angel still had 9 minutes to trash the city before the eva's even got there. NERV had been true to their word and had sent help as soon as they got the message but it's still going to hurt...  
  
~Meanwhile deep under the city~  
  
"Well kid...I guess this is the time we've been waiting for" the man over the monitor said. He gazed again over the windows and waved. The screen popped open and a voice came through.  
  
"You were always there for me. Let me return the favour. Don't hold any doubts" the figure spoke back.  
  
"My only doubt was that we never got any real work done, now get to work!" The man spoke to the com window and pressed a button. The frame behind the windows was suddenly lifted up and out of sight. He could only smile as he knew SEELE would hunt him down, but at least the kid had a chance.  
  
---  
  
Misato sat and watched the monitors of the angel crushing the city beneath it's body. The angel just reached the outer houses and was still batting aside some of the remaining troops. Missiles flew into the AT field doing no damage but Misato knew that the mission of the troopers down there was to be a distraction to buy time until the reinforcements got there. The angel had dispersed the remaining defenders leaving only small arms fire and it begun ripping the city to pieces. making it's way deeper inside. Misato had allowed a direct feed of the action to be linked to the pilots so she knew they were watching it. Shinji had noted it's similarities to the 4th angel but Asuka merely studied the new threat intently. However it was still hard watching the massacre as the angel crushed a blockade with it's foot dragging a streak of blood. Watching the display she saw that they were still 8 minutes out.  
  
---  
  
Light came into his view as the door was flung open. Momentarily blinded he covered his eyes. and walked 3 steps into the light. Buildings were around him and he righted himself. as he viewed the scene a com channel popped up near him.  
  
"Alright kid. You're as ready as you'll ever be. I don't expect you to be a Rambo on me. Just don't get yourself killed out there. If nothing else, suit your actions to waste time. 7 minutes till NERV reinforcements arrive" The man smiled back at the kid before his com channel flicked off.  
  
"Buy time, buy time..."  
  
The com channel appeared again and the man's smiling face came to view again.  
  
"Oh and I'll give you an auto-link up when the other pilots come into com range" The kid mouthed a thank you and the man's com closed again. The kid kept chanting "buy time, buy time" as he went around a building. Looking around the corner he saw the angel approaching. Upon seeing the angel his chant sounded the same but the meaning changed.  
  
"Bye time, Bye time..." He stopped chanting closed his eyes...and turned spun around the building firing his rifle.  
  
---  
  
Misato was growing more and more worried as the angel kept smashing the buildings along it's route as it went deeper into the downtown regions. Ground fire was quiet now and the live link up was down just like the VTOL that was giving it.  
  
"Misato...Why did the angel attack this city? It's not even in the route to Tokyo-3" Shinji asked. Misato couldn't answer that because she could never understand the reasoning behind the angels. Asuka spoke up before Misato could finish her thought anyway.  
  
"Baka dummkopf! Who knows what goes through those angel's heads! All I know is that I'm gonna have to crush it for this! Attacking innocents, there's no words that describe how cruel that is"  
  
Shinji could only sit back in his LCL flooded entry plug and wait for the go order now. Misato resumed her screen viewing. As a view came over a channel.  
  
"You want a live feed?"  
  
"that would be excellent but who is this?" Misato asked the voice  
  
"A friend. I'll patch you through. Oh and say hello to David for me" The voice faded and a new screen popped up. It gave an incredible view of the angel up close as it slung it's claws towards the screen. A building crumbled from the hit and the camera started backing up. the camera man was obviously anxious as the camera barely stood still and a voice over the com kept mumbling something about buying time. As she watched the voice from earlier was overheard again from the link up as the angel reared back to strike again.  
  
"Ok kid you've got an audience. Say hello to them for me"  
  
The angel ripped apart a building next to the camera again and some cursing was heard as the camera shifted again.  
  
"You really know when to bug me don't you" The camera turns around and gains some distance from the angel before turning back again "Could you try to improve your party skills or something" Rifle fire is overheard in the background "Cause you know you never should bother the host as he manages the party!"  
  
At this Misato realizes that the camera is highly elevated and the rifle fire is coming from the speaker.  
  
"This is Major Misato Katsuragi. Name and what are you doing?"  
  
At this the camera turned around and the inside of an entry plug was seen and the camera focused on a pilot that was grinning but focusing on something outside.  
"He's a pilot?!" Screeched Asuka over the intercom, Shinji only muttered something about "Not another one"  
  
"Hey! Damn, didn't see that coming" the camera fizzled for a second but came back on "Ah, who said that, the pilot remark, I'm a little busy here"  
  
"Busy? You having trouble down there? Ha! I could do better" Asuka remarked  
  
"Bet you could, all I got is a half empty B.B gun and...DAMN" the pilot remarked.  
  
"Drop the rifle, it's over heated. Try to get to the 2nd weapon cache, I'll have a spare ready" The unknown male voice from before ordered.  
  
"Cheap American shoddy workmanship. Gah! I'll never make it. Angel's in the way and I'd only drag it further into the city" The pilot commented.  
  
"Well that's the only storage place that hasn't been emptied or destroyed, you'll have to rely on what you got" The male voice left at that.  
  
"Heh...fun fun..." the pilot commented.  
  
---  
  
Misato had watched and listened to the whole thing but now they were coming into view and the city was badly mashed along the southern regions. And in the middle there was a giant angel in mortal combat against a grey eva. The eva has it's prog knife out and the two where bashing each other through buildings and streets. It was only 24 seconds till the eva's could be dropped in the combat zone. And she had to admit, the gray eva wasn't doing half bad. She also knew that it's power limit was slowly running out. The eva literally picked up the angel and dragged it a few blocks closer to the drop zone in order to get it out of the city. This pilot had some skills.  
  
"Commence Drop!"  
  
---  
  
Shinji grunted when he landed. He still wasn't quite used to dropping several thousand feet but he saw Asuka pick herself up too. They each attached a power cable to their backs grabbed the rifles in the weapon case that had been dropped along with the cables and charged into the city.  
  
"So where are they Misato?" Shinji asked  
  
"Move up 200 metres and engage the target" the command was a simple one and the eva pilots moved to comply.  
  
Turning around the corner the grey eva fell into a building near Shinji as the angel slithered across the streets. Shinji rose his eva to block to coming attack and drew his own Progressive knife as the angel bore towards them. Eva 02 burst from the right side of the angel and the 2 rolled across the street wrestling.  
  
"Shinji get that rookie outta here!" Asuka screamed as her world continued to roll.  
  
Unit 01 turned around and sheathed it's knife and plucked the grey eva off the ground and began to run to the extra power cable set up that was in the supplies. Shinji could hear Asuka's grunting and cursing as she continued to wrangle the angel out of the city. Shinji finally reached the power cables and began to set up the grey eva. Misato saw a lot of battle damage on the eva and demanded a report.  
  
"Hey, Pilot of Grey! What's your status?"  
  
"I'm fine. A lot of bad scrapes but I can still go on"  
  
"Fine my left heel! Your missing your left arm!" Misato said checking the read outs.  
  
"I this eva was never 'complete' this battle started with this thing missing the arm" The pilot stated.  
  
The eva now stood having external power restored. The left elbow didn't connect to anything below it. It ended with a tangle of wires and connection circuits but there was no sign of the eva actually having one in the first place.  
  
"Ahh...well...Ok then arm yourself and back up Asuka!" the pilots com channel showed both pilots slightly grinning and there was some snickering from the command crew at Misato's little pun, however Misato didn't catch on to it right away.  
  
"...You know what I mean. This isn't a time for joking around!"  
  
The grey eva went over to the weapon case and took out a single pellet rifle, holding it under it's arm, grey eva followed eva 01 towards the rising dust where Asuka was wrestling the angel.  
  
"Damn it why do the ones I fight always have to have teeth!" Asuka screamed as the angel bit the eva's hand.  
  
The angel had been released from the eva's head lock and was whipping it's claws towards her with deadly intent. Asuka's eva backed away on it's hands and knee's barely avoiding the scythe like claws. Drawing her progressive knife she stabbed it through one of the arms and pinned it to the ground. She dropped the knife and leapt out of the way as the other arm tried to remove her head. The angel disliked it's placement and grabbed the weapon reducing it to splinters. The angel righted itself but eva 01 and eva grey both arrived and opened fire on the upright target. The super heated rounds pelted against the armour of the angel and flew away but a few lucky shots managed to score hits on softer tissues. The bloodied angel charged the 3 eva's but the constant fire from the pellet rifles and Asuka's hand gun forced the creature down into a heap at their feet. It was still alive but not when Asuka's retrieved Progressive Knife dove into it's head. The knife had pierced the angels core and the new angel now lay dead spreading it's blood across the city in it's death throes.  
  
---  
  
"So tell me...where were you hiding the eva?"  
  
Misato was sitting on the chair in front of the com-unit. She was discussing this secret eva issues with her commander and with the male voice that had been driving the new pilot.  
  
"We weren't hiding it. We still haven't finished it yet. Look yourselves it doesn't even have a paint job" The voice said.  
  
"You also didn't finish it's left arm" Misato pointed out.  
  
"It never had one, Major" The voice replied.  
  
"Explain" Gendo's image barely moved but the words were his.  
  
"Well, it's VERY hard to create the needed tissues for eva. Anyone could make an eva if they were only machines but we were lacking successful specimens. We have...well, a lot of failures. We had hit pretty much rock bottom of the budget and we only had what was unit 04 and this thing at the time" the voice explained.  
  
"So instead of scrapping it along with the others you, decided to keep it because it was functional unlike the others?" Misato questioned  
  
"Major. Do not state the obvious" Misato neatly froze, hearing those words from Gendo, her supreme commander.  
  
"Yes sir"  
  
"I'll expect a full brief upon your return Major. I have sent an extra lander to aid you with the transportation of the eva. That is all" Gendo's image disappeared and Misato relaxed again. The male on the other channel spoke up.  
  
"He always like that?"  
  
---  
  
The flight back had been uneventful. It had been 3 days since the battle with the angel in Chicago and the pilots were just finishing up their docking procedures. The new grey eva had taken residence in the second cage, which was across from Rei's unit 00. The 2 eva's stared each other down with their one eye daring the other to blink. All the pilots had begun to filter towards the change rooms, each of them looking rather beat from sitting in their eva's the whole trip. The new pilot had come back to Tokyo-3 bringing with him his semi-complete eva.  
  
---  
  
"STAND! BOW! SIT!" Hikari Horaki's voice rolled over the class using her class-rep voice as the teacher walked through the door with a new student in tow.  
  
Shinji, Asuka and Rei were all in their own seats facing the front and wondered if the new student actually was the new eva pilot too. Shinji thinking back never got a good look at who that pilot was in the grey eva but he'd probably be the student. It was only 1 day later but the image of the last angel and it's similarities to the 4th were frightening when he thought about it. Hikari was now seated at the front of the class again and the teacher was announcing the new student.  
  
"This is our new student" The old man of a teacher adjusted his glasses and read the name off a paper he held "David Cever"  
  
The student only smiled, waved as if he just won an award and announced "I'm David Cever and as the infamous new student, I'm expecting jibes, jibs, inquiries and teasing" The classes reactions were a series of giggles, odd looks or uncaring postures.  
  
"You may take the seat over there" the teacher pointed 2 desks past Shinji. The David fellow made head way in that direction. He nodded towards Shinji as he passed him and the same towards Asuka before taking his spot. The teacher having settled all the introductions began with math.  
  
Undebatably he eventually fell into one of his lectures/speeches/air ventilation about the 2nd impact. The students all gave up paying attention after the first hour. Soon David found a message beeping on his monitor. He stared at it dumbly until he figured out how to answer it.  
  
*Are you still paying attention to this?*  
*Asuka*  
  
At this David only stared at his screen then got a nasty idea to his head. Before answering Asuka, David wanted an audience.  
  
*Keep an eye on Asuka for a second Shinji. Tell that kid with the glasses to put that camera to good use too! I await your reply!*  
*Davido*  
  
Shinji only stared at the message dumbfounded but he still managed to get Kensuke's attention and Shinji messaged his readiness. David was noticing Asuka's looks in his direction and she resent the same message. He sent his reply.  
  
*Unless your referring to your breasts. No I'm not occupied*  
*Davido*  
  
Asuka's gasp was audible and so was her string of curses. The teacher gave a warning to Asuka for interrupting the class before he settled back on his rambling ways. Asuka gave the look of death that would have made most men self combust but her gaze impacted his gleeful smile and he waved back at her and gave a thumbs up at the camera Kensuke had trained on them. Asuka saw the camera and was about to rip one of the 2 apart when her screen flittered displaying a message.  
  
*Sorry, you left yourself wide open. I couldn't hold back the asshole in me. I'm a major in history so this is boring. So what did you want...BEFORE this prank?*  
*Davido*  
  
*Obviously your too immature to handle this question*  
*Asuka*  
  
*I could blackmail you into telling me, but that wouldn't inspire moral between pilots would it?*  
*Davido*  
  
*Ah so you are the pilot of that eva!*  
*Shinji*  
  
*Ah so he knows too, I can't allow you both to live. Now if you'll please throw yourselfs out the window I can go back to being a good student*  
*Davido*  
  
*Your effort in school is lacking*  
*Rei*  
  
*The effort I do put in school or rather, lack of, means you all will live forever doesn't it? ^_^ *  
*Davido*  
  
At this even Shinji stiffled a laugh as Asuka held her mouth shut. Rei looked like...well Rei just sat there like normal.  
  
*It is impossible to live forever*  
*Rei*  
  
*You really know how to make a fun day go weird you know that?*  
*Davido*  
  
*I only do as I'm told to do*  
*Rei*  
  
*Ack! Your less then no fun! You suck the fun right outta me! I think I'm gonna take a nap...*  
*Davido*  
  
At the delivery of the message there was a soft echoing of a snore. Looking back Asuka, Rei and Shinji all saw an extremely relaxed David with both legs on the desk arms holding his head back and him slowly snoring. A message beeped on their displays dragged their eyes away from him.  
  
*I'm only pretending to sleep! Honestly are eva pilots all so gullible?*  
*Davido*  
  
There was snickering where snoring came from before.  
  
*Well...Not really Cever. But what are you doing?*  
*Shinji*  
  
*SLEEPING NOW! STOP PESTERING ME! Oh and call me master or lord or supreme being or if your gonna be a friend just David/Dave*  
*Davido*  
  
*Cever is an odd one*  
*Rei*  
  
*Odd doesn't even begin to describe him*  
*Asuka*  
  
*Cute works for me too*  
*Davido*  
  
*PIG! Go back into hibernation!*  
*Asuka*  
  
*Pigs don't hibernate, hotcakes*  
*Davido*  
  
*What's a hotcakes?*  
*Rei*  
  
A groan was heard from the backrow.  
  
*She really does know how to spoil my moment doesn't she?*  
*Davido*  
  
*Least wondergirl has a use now*  
*Asuka*  
  
*Which is more then Shinji can say about some red-heads*  
*Davido*  
  
Shinji, Togi and Kensuke had been keeping track of the online argument and Togi and Kensuke were grinning ear to ear at how the new comer was ripping into Asuka. Shinji however was slightly worried...he had to live with her and she was getting really wound up from this.  
  
*Don't drag me into this*  
*Shinji*  
  
*Argh! You bailing on me! You may be the invincible Shinji when piloting but dang your a marshmallow in real life! I gotta find me some back up against the RED-BARON*  
*Davido*  
  
Kensuke and Togi grinned as they saw another point was awarded to the new comer. This guy knew his stuff. Red-Baron, they'd need to remember that.  
  
*WHAT ARE YOU CALLING ME, YOU PIG!*  
*Asuka*  
  
*Well. Your German, I can tell from your cursing to say the least, you always want everything red(your eva is a testament to that) and your a pilot!*  
*Davido*  
  
*The term does seem to fit*  
*Rei*  
  
Before the conversation got any more heated the bell rang. Finally it was lunch. Almost half the class jumped from the surprise. Class went fast when you had something interesting to watch unfold and this online conversation held them all rapt. The teacher cleared his throat in order to bring attention to the fact that it was lunch. The class leapt out of their seats and left holding their lunches and storming out the door.  
  
Togi, Kensuke and Shinji all left for the roof top. Asuka and Hikari were just behind them and even the new comer was following. The stooges met at their usual spot on the roof and Kensuke was filming the calm after the storm, or from the way Asuka was positively glaring at David, calm before the storm. Even Rei had come up to the roof of the school holding her lunch. It was an odd scene really. A sort of semi circle was formed around David.  
  
"Can I join you?"  
  
"Yeah man!"  
  
"Dude we could really use your abilities when it comes to handling demon-girl!" Kensuke added to Togi's request. Shinji was safely on the other side of Stooges #2 and 3 as Asuka's wrath was unleashed.  
  
"Sigh...you guys lack experience and...brains...but I could teach you the basics of survival when dealing with...'women'" Cever stated. Asuka glared after David, waiting for a moment to pounce.  
  
"Ah your just a scum bag! and a pig! and a ...a...MALE!!" Asuka stormed off to the side for awhile. Shinji felt torn from aiding his fellow pilot and roommate to making a greeting to the new kid David.  
  
"I think, I'll be back in a second" Shinji shuffled off towards Asuka but David's view was immediately blocked by Kensuke and Togi babbling on about something's about Demons-Girls-Barons and something about piloting.  
  
Shinji sat in front of Asuka who was opening her Bento box for lunch. She only give him a look until she drove into her lunch.  
  
"While the company may not be so good least the food ain't bad" Asuka stated wolfing down the lunch Shinji made. Shinji only wondered what drove this girl to always be so energized.  
  
Well, the food ain't bad at all...but you really outta learn to cook something that's non-Japanese. It can be almost sickening, rice day in and out!" She stated looking almost regal.  
  
"Speaking of which you still haven't taken me out to an expensive restaurant yet...you chickening out?" Shinji cringed at her predatory grin.  
  
He had hoped she'd forgotten by now. It wasn't such a big thing as before, Misato had told him that the NERV ID card that was issued also doubled as a credit card. Of course this would explain how Asuka was always off on shopping trips with Hikari on a weekly basis. But Shinji didn't know that and by now a very sizable sum had amounted on his account...actually he almost fainted from shock from hearing he was worth so much.  
  
"Ahhh...your sure now right? You wouldn't want to date a person like me so ahhh.." Shinji lost his train of thought when Asuka glared back at him.  
  
"A date?! Who said anything about a date!!!! Either you do this or I'll rip your heart out and use it for batting practice!" Shinji nodded meekly.  
  
While Asuka's voice was probably heard by the others on the roof, her tone alone warned them to ignore the content. She finished her lunch without a second thought and marched over to the new kid. At this time most of the crowd had dispersed and David was sitting with his back against a railing by himself, thinking deeply and timidly munching on his sandwich. When the shadow that was Asuka stood over him he gave her a grin and motioned her and Shinji to sit near, Asuka was about to explode at him when David spoke up.  
  
"I'm surprised that you didn't catch the other side of my name calling. Remember when I called you the Red-Baron?" David said to her looking up. Shinji was standing near Asuka. Asuka had stopped in her tracks and now looked at David with suspicion in her eyes.  
  
"What other side?" David sweat dropped at Asuka's question but replied.  
  
"The Red-Baron was never beaten and racked up a nearly impossible kill ratio in battle" at hearing his words Asuka's face went through a series of changes. These changes ranged from confusion, perplexity, anger but settled on glee.  
  
"Finally someone that can see what I truly am!" She said this with a wide grin and ruffling his hair forcefully before sitting next to him. Shinji thought that Asuka's sudden movement would have been strangulation but he saw that she had one of the few smiles on that she allowed only friends to see.  
  
"So what did you want Shinji? I know Asuka came to plaster me against the school yard over the railing but you never seem to be the fighting type" David mumbled through his lunch. Shinji sat on the other side of David who's attention returned back to his sandwich.  
  
"Well...I came to make sure you didn't end up like you said you were but I do have a question for you" David nodded for Shinji to continue, Asuka only watched from her spot.  
  
"Why did you become an eva pilot?"  
  
"Ah not that question again! Who won't you ask it too!" Asuka rumbled. David only returned his attention to his sandwich and looked to be far off in thought as her chewed. He took his time and Asuka went off to gossip with Hikari but when she returned David still didn't answer. Finally he looked at Shinji.  
  
"I became an eva pilot because...it was my last chance to...prevent what happened to me" he said almost with a whisper. Both Asuka and Shinji heard this.  
  
"You may wonder but...the world wide flooding that was second impact didn't arrive till almost a year after it occurred at my home" He paused sipping his drink "We hadn't been warned as to what was coming because the regions that did get flooded got that way too fast for a warning to be sent out. I was told that the city had been flooded too fast for people to get out" David now continued staring at the sandwich as if it was telling him the story.  
  
"I was merely a few months old...but the flooding hit us and...I was found saved by my father. He had been clutching me but rumble had crushed him and some of me after the flood had subsided" David paused audibly.  
  
"He was dead...my mother was missing...and my left arm was crippled I was saved by my brother as pulled me to high ground"  
  
Asuka and Shinji stared at the boy in front of them for the first time, even Rei was listening to the boy open his wound like memories. The boy stood only a hair taller then Shinji with musty blond hair and a slim body. His eyes were brown with traces of yellow and his skin was a bit darker then Shinji's.  
  
"You said your left arm was crippled...how is it that it functions now?" Rei asked standing near.  
  
"Well. I never lost blood circulation with the arm. So it was still a healthy left arm. However I couldn't control it. It didn't move, grip or anything. It wasn't until 7 years ago that I was taken pity upon. However the guy was paid for a really pricy experiment on me. The experiment was to add a few dozen microchips and such into my muscle tissues"  
  
"I heard of something like that actually! It was in the news, the headlines read 'technological breakthrough! Boy gains use of arm after 6 years!' or something" Asuka said thinking back.  
  
"Yeah that was me probably, well with all said and done it worked. I regained my left arm, it was a great. I lived pretty happy with myself for along time But I should get back to the story" David said with a grin.  
  
"7 years later my last remaining relative died...my older brother. He was a ship maintenance crew worker on a ship called the Cymbeline" David went silent at that. At hearing the others silence he finished.  
  
"Well the ship sunk. No survivors..." The warning siren rang across the city after those words. They all broke ranks and left the school, some bond for shelters and others to the frontlines. Who was this David guy any way?  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
~VIVE LA ASUKA!~  
  
Well. I now stand on DANGEROUS ground. I have created a new face in EVA. Don't worry about him though. He David Cever does have a purpose to fulfil on my fic even if you think he seems to be gushing, brash, bold or another bad 'Author Insert' just hang on and you may begin to see where I'm going with him! Oh and the dude that was talking to David doesn't have a name for a reason. I can't tell you, otherwise I'd spoil my own story!  
  
I've currently came up with a lot of 'neato' ideas of how the 'DEMONS'(The red pattern angels) are going to seriously mess around the real battles with the true angels(blue patterns). In fact, I could create a whole fic based on the aftermath with one of the next ones *insert happy face here* and I think I might too. and for those of you that forgot, all the angels up to the 12th have been beaten, so thus by order of elimination that means 13 is the next angel.  
  
Review on what you've read, tell me what you like and dislike. Flame if you must. But gimme something to work with here! I'm needing a direction. Should I aim more for a romance, more mindless EVA fighting or more character interaction? Review and tell me what this story could need/us/add.  
  
*Hot air Zone detected avert eyes to avoid idiocy and useless author rambling. We of the board of censors wish to regret the above statement, and will begin immediate punishment on the individual that posted this in the wrong order*(DrunkDrake tiptoes for the door) 


	5. Spectre Of A Lost Happiness

All characters listed here are products of Gainax. This is a fanfic and thus it's given out for free and most likely doesn't follow much (if anything) in the story line...so suing me wouldn't accomplish much nor win you anything(Cause I'm penniless and you'd lose more then me in a court battle as stated before, I'm penniless). These characters are used without permission so there!(I think you guys could recite this from heart soon)  
  
Ok, all you FanFic readers! I've got a massive battle for you all to salivate over. However it's not just about mindless fighting this time(As much fun as those are). Oh no it's not. R&R.  
  
For those out of the know, the 12th angel is dead. NERV 2nd Branch was swallowed by a Sea of Dirac, and an EVA that was being constructed secretly has been handed over to NERV(EVA wasn't finished though so...) And with the EVA came a fresh face. David Cever(Pronounced as Kev'er) seemingly opened up immediately to the other EVA pilots. Could he be trouble? Is he hiding something? Why does he have golden brown eyes? Why do I love Asuka so much? Will I actually get somewhere with this line of questioning? Why does spellcheck recommend Fanatic when it goes over my name? So without further adu-  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
  
ACallingOfSouls  
Chapter 05 : Spectre Of A Lost Happiness  
~~~~~~~~  
"So what do we know about this one?" Misato asked staring at the main monitor. The monitor showed a giant shadowed mass approaching the shore lines of southern Japan.  
  
"Well all we know it that it's big and that it's pattern is...orange" Hyuga stated as he continued working his keyboard.  
  
"It's slowing it's approach! Magi have begun analysis" Aoba stated.  
  
Misato stole a glance towards the 3 giant blocks of computer hardware that were the Magi. The monoliths housed the worlds first 7th grade super computer that literally ran the whole workings of NERV. Ritsuko was one of the few remaining staff that was instrumental in it's completion and Misato couldn't always wonder at why Ritsuko guarded the things like a mother. Ritsuko had explained to her later though that each of the Magi possessed 1 of Naoko Akagi's thinking processes. Herself as a mother, herself as a scientist and herself as a woman. The Magi were all unique and were very powerful. However the angels always seemed to even stump NERV's Magi on a constant basis.  
  
"Well, how's the status of the pilots?"  
  
"They're all prepped in their eva's and set to go" Hyuga answered Misato.  
  
"Alright here's how we're going to do it. Eva's 01 and 00 will move on a vanguard position to the beach head. Eva 02 will be nearby with the sniper rifle placed here" Misato pointed at one of the hills near the mass "that should give her a good vantage point"  
  
"What are your orders concerning grey eva?" Misato paused at Aoba's question. The eva still wasn't finished and they didn't even name it yet but the pilot was capable.  
  
"Have grey eva stand by at point A-8F3 and await further orders" Fuyutsuki's voice said. Misato turned around and saw her two commanding officers on the command deck. Misato nodded and gave the affirmative. She watched as the eva's were launched and given their weaponry.  
  
---  
  
"Well. Who's going to get this angel kill?"  
  
"You actually count off angel kills?"  
  
Shinji listened as Asuka was arguing with David. He was wondering why Asuka always had to prove her point. He didn't say that to her face for fear of not leaving with his own. Rei was silent as always unless she was reporting, no surprise there.  
  
"Unit 00 in position" yeah, only speaking when reporting that's definitely Rei.  
  
"Well Asuka, I'll admit that you have a few good points about the angels but really can we talk about something else now?" David was definitely steering the conversation away from Asuka's bragging.  
  
"Fine then what do you wanna talk about?"  
  
"I hear there's a lot of activity going on at the end of the week"  
  
"What? You never heard of Hallowe'en?" David nearly choked on the LCL after hearing Asuka's reply.  
  
"The Japanese celebrate Hallowe'en now?! Woah, I must have been out of the loop for a long time"  
  
"Well, it was Ritsuko's idea" Shinji added to the conversation.  
  
"Why you American's think that Japanese are party poopers or something?" Asuka asked half jokingly.  
  
"Well, can't speak for the yankee's, but I'd not heard of Hallowe'en being such a big thing down here" David said  
  
"Yankee's? What is that term?" Shinji blinked  
  
"Ah...that's what a Canuck like me uses when referring to the American's. My nationality is Canadian" David grinned at that.  
  
"Well David...NERV decided to host a hallowe'en party. As far as we can tell, we're the main attraction" Asuka stated. Misato's image blinked to life in their com menu's at this point.  
  
"Less chatter more prep" Misato turned to Hyuga as he begun giving a report  
  
"Target hasn't moved for the past hour. Seems to be waiting for something Major"  
  
"Keep me informed. Ritsuko?"  
  
"Yes Major?" Ritsuko looked up from Maya's shoulder.  
  
"Perhaps we should prep the water combat gear. So far the target is refusing to come close enough to land for us to engage" Misato said jerking a thumb towards the god's eye view of the battlefield. A massive shadowed mass hung just out of reach of the eva's weapons and under the water.  
  
"We've never used the gear in practice or theory...the angels usually end up on top of us anyway so we never bothered with the finished product" Ritsuko said scratching her arm as she continued to report "But we could fit eva 00 with a set"  
  
"Only 00?"  
  
"Well, it's the most complete of the gear sets. Unit 02's gear was almost complete so we could get that put together too but..." Ritsuko's chattering was blared out by warning sirens  
  
"New pattern detected! Magi mark it as red!" Aoba gave Hyuga a look  
  
"Ahh...we know that Hyuga..."  
  
"You don't understand this is a SECOND pattern!" Hyuga claimed. The pilots themselves showed some distress at this. Lately the angels have been getting tougher, sometimes taking down all but one of the eva's in one fight. Could they handle 2 at once? Even Asuka's facade broke for a second.  
  
"What's the position of the second one?"  
  
"Coming in from the mid-west point. Straight for us" Hyuga replied. This meant that the angels were coming from exact opposite directions. The monitor showed that they had about an hour before the second one arrived. But at the same time the first angel had begun moving forward now straight towards the eva's.  
  
---  
Shinji nearly jumped when his monitor suddenly sprung to life and begun attempting a target lock on the angel. It was moving towards them, fast. The angel was creating a large wave that would have been surfer's paradise if not for the fact that it was eva height.  
  
"Pull back!" Rei made her eva do what she suggested. Shinji, Asuka and David also backtracked into the hills until the water splashed at their toes. However it wasn't just the water that was at their toes.  
  
"JESUS!"  
  
David's eva was suddenly dragged into the waist deep by a pair of black glistening flippers. David thrashed about but only was being dragged deeper. His motions were getting choppy too.  
  
"Damned B type equipment!!" eva grey was then gripped by eva 02 and slowly hauled back onto the hill dragging a reluctant angel to boot.  
  
"How big is that thing!?"  
  
"Just shoot the things off my leg!" David had his EVA attempt to sweep away a sort of jelly or acid that was on the under side of the gripping flippers.  
  
Asuka had pulled her pistol weapon out and was unloading it's fire power into the angel. Rei was still pulling David back out of the water while Shinji stabbed his prog-knife into the flipper. The flippers reaction was much like an explosion, sudden, little warning and with great effects. It suddenly split and grabbed EVA 01 by it's arms.  
  
"Hey, what in the world!?" Shinji wrestled with the new appendages that clung to his EVA. David was mostly free now and was using a pellet rifle with deadly accuracy against an eye that was popping out of the water. The angel was now coming out of the water on a multitude of spiny legs not unlike a crab. It had 6 flipper like arms that were flailing along in the air striking away several projectiles from EVA 00 and knocked aside EVA 02 also.  
  
"Where's the core?!"  
  
"I don't know! I can't see it from here!"  
  
"Perhaps it is under the armour?" Rei's cool voice broke through the com chatter.  
  
It was indeed like a crab, it's armoured shell gave much credit to it. A giant 6 armed or flippered white crab that was the size of most super carriers. Each of the EVA's were now making they're way towards it on the beach, from different angles battling with it's flippers every step forward. It's 3 eyes always watching the EVA's and it's AT field never sprung forward to block anything yet. It's eyes all suddenly swept to EVA 01.  
  
"Hey, Shinji your slowing down. Pick up the pace!" Asuka had been noticing a gradual decrease of movement from EVA 01 as the battle worn on. Other then a few acid streak marks they're wasn't any damage to speak of.  
  
"Angel AT field deployed over EVA 01!" as Hyuga screamed this EVA 01 stopped moving completely and the angel swivelled it's body to face it, ignoring the others. It rose on it's legs lifting it's top towards the EVA showing a ring of teeth. It leapt and pinned Shinji under it.  
  
"Get that angel off of Shinji! Asuka, Rei, David move it!" Misato screamed over the com channel.  
  
"If the dummkopf moved he wouldn't have been caught like that!" At Asuka's words the angel lifted off of the ground and faced her.  
  
"Angel AT Field deployed again!...It's on unit 02!" Asuka's EVA froze trapped by the invisible wall that was the AT field. The angel leapt again but this time it soared over the EVA and landed back in the water. By the time Asuka regained control of her EVA the angel had long gone.  
  
---  
  
This felt familiar. A warm feeling, or a cold one they felt the same. But a feeling of...comfort no less. A welcoming one. A feeling of weightlessness, free floating, almost like your free. Yet unlike with absolute freedom there was comfort.  
  
Where am I?  
  
The orange LCL came into Shinji's sight as he opened his eyes. The LCL made the walls of the silver innards of the plug look orange... Almost like a vast sea of orange but reaching out Shinji felt the walls around him. But the illusion didn't dissipate. The seat and Shinji were the only defining things where he was.Where am I? The entry plug? What happened?  
  
You are here.  
  
Who are you?!  
  
I am I  
  
What? Didn't I see you before?...You were there before! The 12th angel! Why are you here too!  
  
I am with you. You and I are the same. I am the image that resembles you. You have come back here not me.  
  
I came here? Why do I come here? I want to...  
  
Want what?  
  
To leave...  
  
Why?  
  
---  
  
"Asuka there's nothing we can do for him right now!" Misato said into the com. Asuka's EVA stood facing the water where the angel that took Shinji, ran. 5 minutes had passed since then and Asuka constantly watched for any signs of a resurfacing EVA but with no avail. Rei and David had both pulled back, though David was rather reluctant, but Asuka was steadfast in her watch. Misato's voice came again.  
  
"Asuka! Pull back. The primary target has left our field of operations...It's too far Asuka..." Misato had almost broken down at those last few words. Again...AGAIN those angels stole Shinji from Misato. She almost couldn't bare it.  
  
"Then what do we do!"  
  
"Pull back to the city...are prepare to intercept a new target..." Misato said. Glancing at the screen the second target that was coming from the other direction had increased it's flying speed. It was barely 20 minutes away before it got to Tokyo-3. Getting the EVA's in position to intercept would take maybe 7 minutes so they had about 13 minutes to spare either way, unless the angel decides to change it's mind much like the last one.  
  
---  
  
Well...It's not right...This is not reality...This isn't real...  
  
Suddenly Shinji woke up in bed in a cold sweat.   
  
"What a nightmare. EVAs, Angels, NERV? Ha. I must have been losing my mind. Maybe I should lay off the midnight sake with Kensuke and Toji"  
  
Shinji sat up on the edge of bed and wiped his brow. He let out a yawn. Looking around he saw that he was standing on the roof of his room.  
  
Is this reality?  
  
It is a facet of reality. Only though, It's a facet that can be changed just by your will.  
  
My will? So I think of something and it'll happen?  
  
Yes. But only if you make it happen.  
  
I really don't understand.  
  
You all ready have modified your world look! *The figure points at Shinji who was sitting on a fold-out chair looking as if in deep thought from the last statement*  
  
HOW?! I didn't move! I was standing! Yet here I am! How is this happening!  
  
---  
  
"Idiot...Baka...dummkopf...why didn't you fight back harder...you still owned me...dinner..."  
  
Asuka sat in her entry plug looking sour. She had many other emotions to deal with but she was needed to pilot so this was the only face she could wear. Rei stood off 3 or 4 blocks to the right of Unit 02 holding a pellet rifle standing much like any good soldier would...'or doll' thought Asuka. David's grey eva stood 10 blocks behind Asuka prepping the positron sniper rifle, the same one that knocked the 5th angel of it's high horse. Asuka held the point position, Rei the support and David the sniper...It somehow felt incomplete without the purple EVA standing like the invincible sentinel it was. Nothing had truly beaten it without receiving a massive beating and Asuka knew that Shinji, as much of an idiot he was, held more combat experience then any of them. To boot he had most the angel kills too.  
  
"Pilot Sohryu. What do you want?" Rei's level monotone came with her comlink.  
  
"I don't remember asking anything from the doll"  
  
"You have been eyeing Both Unit 00 and David periodically" Rei stated unaffected by Asuka's words.  
  
"That's only cause I have a lack of faith in my comrades abilities"  
  
"You did just as little to prevent Unit 01's capture" Rei's words had stung even if she didn't attach emotion to them. Asuka was about to use some of the most unflattering words she had when Misato decided to pop open a com channel herself.  
  
"Looks like you'll all get another shot at that...the angel that captured Shi..i" Misato had almost lost her control when she stuttered his name "that captured Unit 01, is coming back"  
  
"I have a score to settle with that..."  
  
"Stiffle it" David said "We all do. When is it's arrival time"  
  
Misato hissed/gasped when Ritsuko handed gave her the information.  
  
"Same time as target 2"  
  
---  
  
Simply just by wanting it, needing it or by wishing it, you made it happen. This is your world now. Make it as you want it.  
  
How did I get all this? You can't be the only one here! Asuka, Misato, Rei tell me what's going on...*As he called each of their names each made a split second appearance and faded out* I...Why is this happening...I only wanted...everything to work out for the better...  
  
The world of eternal darkness faded from view and Shinji felt at peace. He woke up as if from a dream, the ceiling was there so was that light. The curtains fluttered in the early morning breeze with slim beams of light peeking through the clouds. Shinji sat up and yawned while stretching. He got up from his bed and looked out the window. The city stretched beyond his sight.  
  
"Today is another good day!" Shinji claimed. A figure shifted in the blankets he left and a tangle of red auburn coloured mess framing 2 ocean blue eyes poked itself from under the covers.  
  
"I'll never know how you can always wake up so early" came a voice from the tangled mess that was Shinji's covers and Asuka. Shinji only turned around, kissed her forehead and smiled.  
  
"You Baka, stop staring. It's too early. Go start up breakfast before the kids are up" Asuka said before rolling over.  
  
Shinji grinned at the memory, leaving her in bed and marched off towards the kitchen to make a breakfast even champions would envy. As the bacon sizzled and the eggs cooked a series of giggles came from around the corner. Shinji turned his head almost lightning fast towards the corner and just caught the sight of auburn locks of hair dash around the corner. He went back to cooking back suddenly looked back again, and saw the same locks of hair zip back around the corner followed by some giggles. Shinji paused his cooking and sneaked towards the corner. He suddenly leaped around the corner flinging his arms wide into the air made a mock angry face and roared "BOOOOO!" The two little pairs of eyes made a dash as their father started to wrestle them giggling to the floor. Shinji lacked any real talent with wrestling and both of his captives now sat on his chest pinning him down. The first thing Shinji noticed was how similar the two munchkins looked like their parents. The first one looked like Asuka even down to the hair style, gleaming blue eyes and fiery red locks of hair. The second little nipper could have passed as a 5 year old Shinji any day except where Shinji had a sad, haunted look this one had only joy, peace and glee shinning in his eyes.  
  
"Perhaps, I should admit defeat?"  
  
"You never lose!" stated the miniature Asuka  
  
"Yes, you should! Mommy, would only be delayed breakfast more if this continued" the little boy said.  
  
"And we all know how mommy acts when she doesn't get her breakfast, RIGHT?" He tickled them with his last word and was carrying one under each arm as he turned around the corner.  
  
"SEE! You never...GAH" the little fire ball was continuing until Shinji tickled her. He set them at the table and found Asuka in her robe giving them a patented Asuka "The Mother" stare.  
  
"Kids!" Shinji shrugged with a sheepish grin on his face. Asuka signed, smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek.  
  
"You better finish making breakfast" she gave him her "The Mother" look "You now how I get without my breakfast"  
  
The giggling continued as Shinji finished the breakfast and set down a plate at each of their spots. A conversation picked up but Shinji slowly lost focus. He felt warm...comfortable...at peace with what had been happening. Why did he feel that way and why did he feel so...hollow when he hasn't there. Shinji now watched as if he were a spectre hovering to the side watching himself eat, talk, laugh and live in a world he felt that was his...but wasn't.  
  
You have found what you lack Shinji Ikari?  
  
I...I think...I believe that I know what i miss...I really think I do...I feel so...hollow now. Why wasn't that my reality. Why eva, why not happiness.  
  
I know how to give you what you wish. I know how to make what your wish into reality. Aid, us and this will be your reality.  
  
"I...I..." Shinji stuttered and the world he saw once again came into focus. The children giggling the two parents watchful and happy.  
  
"I will...help..."  
  
---  
  
"Time till target 1's arrival...30 seconds" Aoba Shigeru gave out "Time till target 2's arrival 54 seconds"  
  
Misato stood barely listening to what was happening. Shinji had been taken from her again. Why couldn't she do anything about it? Why did these angels have to pick on Shinji? She still had to watch Rei and David for any signs of stress but she knew Asuka was going to explode or something. Misato had seen a few of the glances the 2 had shared. The angel had taken Shinji and ran away. If not for the fact that another Angel with a red pattern was closer and approaching Tokyo-3 the pilots would have hunted down that thing to the depths of the Pacific ocean. For some reason though both angels were now charging the city, it never happened like this before. Never had two attacked at once. This was going to be bloody. Misato only held her cross and hoped that not everything would go wrong. She looked up as Asuka rose her rifle to engage the new target.  
  
---  
  
"What is that thing?" Asuka asked as she sighted down the rifle.  
  
"You got the front row seat with binoculars and you have to ask me?" That was obviously David "All I can see from here is a white dot that's supposed to be the target"  
  
The 'white dot' was the target, but it wasn't a white dot. It was a pair of wings, almost bat like in appearance but they glowed a sickly white orange. The mass that held the wings together was a mass of legs and appendages. It really didn't look like anything, well maybe a drunk's picture of an squid with bat wings and it certainly didn't look aerodynamic enough to fly, but angels rarely made sense anyway.  
  
"Well it's ugly..."  
  
"It has entered my firing range, beginning lock on" That's obviously wondergirl, damned doll. Asuka raged in her mind as her targeting brackets also begun to centre on the mass. But she couldn't keep her mind off of Shinji. She had been greatly perturbed when he was swallowed by the Dirac Sea, screaming the names of his comrades as he disappeared. This time he didn't even have enough time to draw a breath to scream. Gone...just gone. The invincible Shinji, caught twice by the angels. If even he could be caught and beaten, what did it mean for the rest of them? Did they really have a chance?  
  
"Asuka. Stop admiring that angel and lock on"  
  
Asuka glowered at David's com window. Who was he to order her. At least Shinji was a comrade...but so was David...and Rei for that matter. Shinji was, something more...a roommate? Yes and something more?...A friend...  
  
---  
  
Fuyutsuki hovered by Gendo once again as they presided over the bridge bunnies going about their duties. Fuyutsuki had been caught completely off guard by Shinji's second abduction by an invading enemy.  
  
"Could they be planning to use the EVA against us?"  
  
"No. If it was it would have stayed in the deepest trenches of that Ocean biding it's time. This is odd"  
  
"But it still doesn't bode well either way does it?"  
  
Gendo's reply was simply continuing to stare towards the main monitor and Fuyutsuki stood back up, feeling more then disturbed.  
  
"This is much worse then what I feared from SEELE"  
  
Fuyutsuki only stared dumbstruck at Gendo. From what Fuyutsuki knew of SEELE's plans were not very 'fun' things were planned for NERV in the aftermath with the last angel but if something was going to be worse then even Gendo planned...then perhaps not knowing the was the best way about it.  
  
"Ignorance is bliss" Fuyutsuki mumbled as he watched the workers continue their jobs, expecting tomorrow to come.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
*Hot air Zone detected avert eyes to avoid idiocy and random self-back-patting*  
  
Ok this is the first part of the "fight". You could sort of list it in 3 zones of management at the moment. And once again I chicken out with the Rei parts(starts crying into a hankie) but I'll get better don't worry! Rei frightens me as a writer. I just can't think of doing parts with her that wouldn't end up with her being out of character... heh heh not those type of parts you...you...*Waves at Asuka to take over* "YOU BUNCH OF PERVERTED JERKS! HOWEVER DARE YOU THINK OF ME IN SUCH A WAY!" Ahh...It was about Rei... "WHAT?! YOU CALLED ME TO DEFEND THE DOLL!? well....SAME THING GOES FOR HER TOO!" *Waves Asuka good-bye as she leaves* Well. I may love Asuka as an a great, well developed character(remove those thoughts...I know you were thinking them) but I doubt I could stand 5 minutes with her in real life. "*You are scrawny and weak. Pathetic and rude*" *Blinks*...Rei? I know your peeved at the lack of your parts but please GIMME A FRICKING BONE HERE! "*Fine. I shall leave then *turns to lease* oh and your ugly too...*" DON'T FORCE ME TO TURN MY NEXT FANFIC INTO A LEMON WITH YOU AS THE STAR ATTRACTION! Ok I've got some difficulty managing my own characters. But one day they'll all obey the crack of my whip! "@Oh my! want to borrow mine?@" OMG NOT YOU TOO KAWORU! It was only a saying and I WANT NONE OF THAT ON THIS FIC!  
  
Ok. Once I've sorted out my 'little' dilemma with character management. I'll try to post another chapter. And let me tell you it'll be a doosy!(Who came up with that word anyway?) If you felt this chapter was a little shorter then normal, don't worry. It's like 2/3 pages shorter to make up for the fact that originally it would have been huge so I've hacking it to pieces and serving it in bit size morsels. So you don't need to check into a padded room or anything. Gimme some reviews on how you think this is going. It might be a few days before I post the next one. I wanna get it perfect(well in my eyes at least).  
  
Reviews needed. Review anything. If you like/dislike David. The lack of certain characters interactions in EVA or anything. Review and let me know!(I'm suprised no one noticed a lack of Kaji...) REVIEW PLZZZ!  
  
~VIVE LA ASUKA!~ 


	6. A Turning of Tables

If you haven't figured out that I don't own anything that's listed in the fic by now. Then there's no saving you from yourself. I'll repeat myself.  
  
I own NOTHING in this fic(however I'd love to take an eva for a spin). I merely am putting them in the front lines of this angel war. Thank you good bye.  
  
Last where we left our heroes, Shinji was captured by a crab like red pattern angel and the other eva pilots have set up to intercept the second angel.  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
  
ACallingOfSouls  
Chapter 06 : A Turning of Tables  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Say Shinji...I'm bored..." Shinji irked at Asuka's tone. Her voice had a sound like honey to a bear, causing the cat to stare into curiosity and all sorts of other stupid rhymes and tales that popped into his mind when Asuka used that voice.  
  
"Ahhh... Well..." Shinji stumbled like a near sighted man in a moonless night for words. Asuka was leaning against the door frame that connected their rooms together. Why it must have been at least 15 seconds since she'd been in his room. His room? Looking around he found he was in the hospital still after that fight with the 3rd angel wannabe.  
  
"Well what? I'm bored let's do something together!" Shinji had trouble with words before but now he was lost. Asuka just stringed together some suggestive ideas through his head, but she didn't seen to register to her yet. Distract her, don't make her think your really a pervert. Think! Speak! No words dared form, in case something wrong was said. He still made a heartfelt effort though.  
  
"Ahh...heh, umm..."  
  
Asuka raised her eyebrows expectantly. Shinji then wondered if Asuka meant what she said with all the implied subliminal ideas. No, no, no. Not with Asuka, if anything she's playing with you Shinji. Speak, man! Open mouth, produce words...  
  
"Your sure your bored" insert foot...  
  
"Ahh... yeah, Shinji. I sort of made that clear. Wanna play a few rounds" She jerked her head indicating the game system she had in her room. Problem solved.  
  
Shinji felt a weight lifted from his shoulders, and he felt like he just learned something about Asuka. When she's bored she'll pick on me badly. However once she hits an even lower state of boredom, she doesn't even register her own taunts and set ups. Interesting. Though he had to admit he was stark raving mad/bored also...there really wasn't anything to do here for 24 hours a day with only an SDAT, some books and perhaps the operations manual(which he gave up on after the 4th day). He sighed and nodded his head, and thus began a massive video game competition unequalled in post second impact history if not for quality time it made up for quantity.  
  
After beeps, bloops, missiles, ray guns, etc(all that fun video game stuff) had gone on for about an hour Asuka started to think. It was actually starting to be fun being here. It was unpleasant to say the least to study the walls, mess with the sparse furnishings, or even play games for days without end. The lack of school work was refreshing, but she couldn't see Hikari her only real friend and she had to be cooped up with Shinji which really was below par for her standards.  
  
Actually when she found out about this, she violently 'removed' Shinji from her half of the 2 room hospital and threatened him with a familiar 'wall of Jericode' from the night before a certain 7th angel was beaten. Well Shinji followed though on his promise not to 'cross that wall' but this left Asuka alone. Alone for 3 days. Alone for 3 days with no one to talk to or bother with. Soon all the boredom got to her and she couldn't help herself as she begun to think back. It was a personal hell for Asuka. Memories she swore never to remember, attempting to rise again. She blocked out the more painful ones with less painful ones, oddly(at least to her) most of these ones had Shinji in them. Shinji standing on 'over the rainbow's' deck blissfully watching Asuka Langley Sohryu introduce herself. Shinji cooking breakfast for his roommates. Shinji starring out the window at the setting sun from the balcony. Shinji...WHY ARE ALL MY MEMORIES ABOUT SHINJI ALL OF A SUDDEN! Asuka fumed and threw her pillow across the room and watched it slide down from it's new indention in the wall. When her anger subsided the memories returned...the bad ones.  
  
"Damn it..." She gave up and decided the idiot was better then the doll or her...idiot it is. Ok. Think Idiot, think pervert...think roommate...Ok got it! She roamed about her memories of Shinji. Shinji during the sync week, Shinji coming to find her after she ran. Ok so the idiot wasn't so bad... Shinji leaping into the volcano to save her...ok so he really was a nice guy that cared...Asuka teasing Shinji for his apologies. Asuka slapping Shinji for standing there after that 'over the rainbow' incident. Shinji smiling at Asuka as she vented her pride before they belted down to do some serious sync training...Mien Gott. I was a total...bitch to him...daily...yet he still...Shinji leaping into the volcano against orders to rescue her...  
  
"I gotta make it up to him or something..." She thought for a minute and soon her second pillow slid down from a new dent near the original.  
  
"Pilot Sohryu, open fire!"  
  
Asuka snapped out of memory lane after Rei's Monotone voice giving warning and the constant blaring of the lock-on she had on the angel.  
  
"Somebodies gonna pay for this.."  
  
'Stay alive for now Shinji'  
  
---  
  
The angel was hovering almost peacefully over Tokyo-3. It's main body mass was a white sphere that had about 7 appendages that seemed like they belonged to the 4th angel. The number of appendages was always shifting as they melted into the main body or more came out. Also there was a set of odd wings on top the angels apex, the wings of a bat. The very shape of the thing was weird but the sheer mechanics of how it maintained flight was sheerly mind-boggling. From science's point of view, it was impossible. It had a mission and it was planning to fulfil it. It was hunting a specific 'Lillim', one that could shift the tide of power. If only it made itself known...  
  
A sudden pain tore into it's sides. A river of palette rifle rounds was beginning to eat away at the beautiful white sphere. 'Ah pathetic, but at least one of the Lillim wants to play'. The angel begun to bat away several of the rounds sending them back towards the city. The rounds were all coming from a red fake angel, the one deemed EVA 02. 'My, my. The slayer of my brothers wants to fight me!'. The angel felt an emotion then, the first in it's life, it was the one of hunger, the hunger for blood.  
  
---  
  
David only stared as the 'angel' started to bat away more and more of the palette rounds. Actually it was getting faster at deflecting them that and it was coming closer and closer too. This battle was going to be ugly. His crosshairs locked on the approaching 'angel' and he sent another string of super heated explosion palette rounds with deadly intent. Like before the first few got through but the angel had begun to block both sides of attack almost completely.  
  
"Yep, definitely ugly"  
  
But for Shinji. He would win. They all had to.  
  
David's EVA threw the spent rifle aside and gripped a bazooka type weapon. The lock-on was almost immediate, so close was the angel.  
  
"Wondergirl, where's our covering fire?!" Asuka's words then made David realize that the positron sniper rifle that was supposed to have been fired several times past his shoulder hadn't fired yet. Turning around he saw it was firing. Only that it was firing in the opposite direction...  
  
"Oh shit..."  
  
---  
  
"Target 2's speed has increased! It's in the engagement zone!"  
  
---  
  
It was fast. Rei cocked the rifle again. This would be the 5th shot. The rifle wasn't meant for constant use like this and was obviously started to disintegrate. The damned thing was built for power not for multiple uses like this. The odd crab 'angel' from before was making a speedy descent down one of the mountains. Rei was just following orders to shot the target but her finger hovered over the trigger this time. If this 'angel' had absorbed Unit 01 then doesn't that mean... Rei blanched. She had her emotionless mask on again but she had emotions parading through her skull like a circus side show. One pull of the trigger could have been the end of Shinji Ikari, pilot of Unit 01. She just stared as it continued to charge her.  
  
"Rei! Wake up! What are you doing Ayanami!" David's voice cut through the fog in her mind. She released the rifle and stood up.  
  
"Rei...what are you doing?" Gendo's tones came through the main bridge com.  
  
"Ikari, is still in the angel"  
  
"Irrelevant. Take it out" Again Gendo's tone came across sternly.  
  
Rei Ayanami, first child, pilot of EVA 00 deployed her progressive knife as a response. David only watched this drama half earnestly. His attention was drawn more towards the 'angelic furball' that was lashing out at unit 02. Asuka had lost her rifle, well more accurately it lay upon the ground as ashes. One of her own rounds hit the gun. She was now forced to fight the thing with only her Progressive knife and whatever was in her shoulder blades. The appendages had almost doubled in number however they were easy to cut and shoot off. Asuka was doing some pretty impressive knife slashes but she was in a constant state of retreat. David had again emptied his rifle's ammunition and he drew out his progressive knife. Time to get down and dirty too bad Asuka's there already. He couldn't resist the image of Asuka, scantily clad with mud smeared all over her. But forced the image out of his head just as fast as it came.  
  
"Ick. Damn hormones, who needs'em?" He joined the hedge clipping frenzy that was the battle against the 'furball angel'.  
  
---  
  
Ahhh. I can sense the Lillim is close now! Yes! Very close. I can almost taste it's tortured heart! But where is it! And where is that infernal fake blue angel? In it's rage it slapped aside the fake grey angel out of the way. 'Stupid Lillim, and they're fake angels. I won't be stopped!'  
  
---  
  
Rei had successfully dislodged all the tentacles from the crab thing and she had her eva kneeling on it as she begun cutting through the armoured hide. However she wasn't ready for the strike from behind. The 'furbal angel' had just used 3 of it's appendages to stab/knock Rei off the angel. One had pierced the eva's lower torso going right through it. The angel 'leaned into it pinned unit 00 against the ground as it turned towards the fallen comrade.  
  
---  
  
You are have been struck down? By the Lillims!  
  
I have done my mission. Here is the one, and he is ready. Take him.  
  
Claim him, that I will.  
  
---  
  
"Mien Gott!"  
  
"Jesus...."  
  
"What the hell"  
  
Misato's shocked exclamation left her mouth as she watched the 'furbal angel' rip apart the crab angel. It was a sickening sight as grey silver matter that was armour was flung in many directions and red blood seeped from the many wounds staining the ground. The appendages tunnelled into the angel and erupted from the other sides. the 'furbal' had maybe 3 dozen tentacle/arms going through the body of the slightly larger angel as it roamed looking for something. The gory display held everyone rapt.  
  
"YOU BASTARD!" Asuka cried as she charged the 'furbal' she had hoped that perhaps there was a chance to save Shinji but that would be impossible if that thing killed him and the angel that held him. She stabbed forwards but her knife didn't reach the 'angel' as it swung a tangle of arms still immersed within a large chunk of the crab angel blocked.  
  
---  
  
'Shinji?'  
  
"Yes? Who are you?"  
  
'I am the one'  
  
"One?"  
  
'I can do for you what none shall ever do'  
  
"You mean this?" The scene he had seen played again in the background of the sub space Shinji and the voice occupied.  
  
'I can't do that'  
  
"Why?"  
  
'Because the one you love doesn't love you back'  
  
"Wh...at?"  
  
'I can only make happen what can be allowed to happen. I can't change this...this was to have been your future. However, the one you love has fallen for another' images of about every boy Shinji knew flickered in the background.  
  
"No...she wouldn't do that...They wouldn't do that..."  
  
'Yes, they would...and they have' the scene on top of the school replayed but their was no words or sounds. He saw that while he had been raptured by David's talk, Asuka had been eyeing David almost hungrily. Another scene came to his mind, one where Toji and Asuka were hugging each other under a porch light very tightly almost like...  
  
"NO" .Then he saw Hikari standing off to the side watching them and crying before running off in the darkened alleys.  
  
"I caused this?..."  
  
'No, the one you loved doesn't return it. The ones you trust will turn against you when your back is turned'  
  
"NO!!" Yes "NO!!!!" Yes... "Not Toji! Not Hikari!!! NOT ASUKA!!!!!"  
  
"Already they plan to get rid of you"  
  
"No...." Shinji's voice was sounding almost hollow as it begun to echo weakly.  
  
'But look, the very one you love is twisting the very knife that is meant to kill an enemy'  
  
---  
  
Asuka begun to shake... she hadn't struck the angel. She struck the gelatinous crap that once was the innards of the crab angel. However the force of her strike caused the innards to slowly slip off. What she saw horrified her. It started with the top part of the mess to fall back, revealing an all too familiar horn. Then the mess started to flake off in chunks and she saw eva unit 01 with it's eyes dim it's armour covered in scarlet angel blood with Asuka's Progressive knife stabbed into the left breast.  
  
"Cut Shinji outta there! Asuka!" David's words got Asuka to bring the knife out and she pulled back and swung for the appendages holding Shinji's eva in place.  
  
---  
  
Shinji opened his eyes and saw unit 02 standing right in front on him. A pain was ripping from his heart as he saw it held it's knife extended ending with a progressive knife handle sticking out his chest.  
  
Emotions and feelings, swirled in Shinji's head as he saw what the voice said come true.  
  
Shinji's mind was reeling from blow after blow. He saw unit 02 pull back it's knife and prepare another swing.  
  
"love...hate...betrayal...hate...betrayal....death...pain...betrayalpaindeathbetrayalhate..."  
  
Shinji's mind suddenly stopped as he focused on one word.  
  
"Revenge..."  
  
---  
  
Asuka pulled back horrified that she had stabbed the eva but had regained enough of her senses to attempt to dislodge Shinji's eva. She swung forward again, much higher aiming for one of the appendages that was rapped around the trapped unit's left arm, when suddenly pain caught her in her left arm. She muttered a shout when she felt an awful pain smash into her forehead to accompany what she felt on her arm. Looking up from her curled up position she saw an up close view of unit 01's glowing eyes. So close in fact, that she could swear she saw it's iris's through the armoured glass. What scared her more was that she saw it narrow it's eyes and give a small growl that didn't belong to anything sane...  
  
---  
  
Rei's eyes had widened when she saw eva 01 was under the fleshy goo but she was in a sweat when she saw the what it just did to eva 02. When Asuka swung her knife to hack off another limb from the angel, unit 01's right arm shot out and yanked unit 02 with an iron grip. This pull had unit 02's head smash into unit 01's. They were eye to eye, and even from this distance she heard the growl. Other then the time with the 12th angel Rei hadn't seen an eva go berserk on the battle field. Eva 01 had been frightening covered in angel blood roaring to the sky that day, frightening enough to cause Asuka some doubts about the Evangelions. Now with eva 01 once again berserk it lost none of it's furious intent, the red blood staining it's armour only completed the effect.  
  
"Is...that, pilot Ikari?"  
  
"Oh my god..."  
  
"What are...his vital stats?" Rei said still watching the display. Unit 01 now lifted 02 and hefted it in to the air and dropping it/throwing it so that it rolled a few blocks away. It started to rip and tear at the remaining innards that held it's legs and lower torso as it's eye's continued to glower at unit 02.  
  
---  
  
Maya was typing furiously away, with Rei's request. Most of the other crew were still shocked at seeing eva 01 working, and even more scared that it didn't seem too happy to be back. Hyuga and Aoba had also overcame their stupor and where working away also. It was Hyuga that made the first statement.  
  
"Pilot life signs confirmed!"  
  
"Sync ratio steady at 219%!"  
  
"WHAT?!" Misato's voice echoed in the main office from Aoba's statement. Technically speaking 100% was the highest you could go. 100% meant you were maxed, there wasn't anything else above. The second thing that clicked in Misato's mind was the insanely high number. 219%?! How?! The pilots were struggling just to reach 80% not to mention maintain it. Maya's voice suddenly shouted out over the din.  
  
"46.45% mental contamination!!!!"  
  
"We've lost the connection to unit 01!!!"  
  
Maya's words rang out at the same time the eva freed itself from the remains of it's prison. The other angel however had a firm grip on the eva but they moved in tandem, almost as if they had one mind. Straight towards an unmoving unit 02.  
  
---  
  
Increased senses, rage...pure emotional rage. I nearly laughed when I overheard the excited yells about my leaping Sync ratio. It leapt by an incredible amount and easily landed me as the top slot, if I had still cared about such things. More importantly I was ready, ready to kill, ready to tear apart my enemies.  
  
---  
  
The angel seemed to grin inwardly, it's mission was done. Now it only had to wait until this fake angel did the work for it. It detached from the purple monster and disappeared down on of side streets as Rei's new pellet rifle tore up the street where it had been.  
  
---  
  
Eva 01's jaw opened as wide as it could go and roared at it's toppled foe. Asuka had begun to scramble back from the monster. She had been violently woken up from a forced sleep by the roar, and it had chilled her to the bone. She felt icy fingers grip her heart when she saw the eva charge her. It leapt into the air and dove at her. That was only until a grey blur obscured the view  
  
"David?!"  
  
The purple and grey eva rolled across the street crushing cars, benches and all sorts of objects as they rolled down the street to the right. It was really just a mess of limbs and colours that spun rolling around. The angel wasn't anywhere in sight but Rei's eva, damaged or not was still at the hill like earlier but this time it held a small arms rifle(pellet) and was tracing holes in the streets somewhere to Asuka's far left.  
  
"Pilot Sohryu are you functional?" Rei's voice came over the air waves just as emotionless as any other given time but there was a sense of urgency, Asuka thought.  
  
"Yeah, just peachy. What happened? Did the eva actually jump me?!"  
  
"The angel responsible for that is still around. Perhaps if we kill it, the control it had placed on the eva will end" Asuka had to hand it to Ayanami. She really could keep her cool even in really had situations.  
  
"Sounds good girls but could you do it FASTER! This thing definitely wants to be uncooperative!" about every third word was interrupted by his heavy breathing "I really doubt I can hold it back for say... 30 SECONDS!!!!!"  
  
"Well hold him until we kill that thing. Even a rookie like you should be able to distract that thing long enough"  
  
The red eva stood up again having shaken it's earlier fears. Misato must have said something but regardless an armoury door opened up and offered a progressive lance and a progressive axe. Soon the blue and the red were hunting for angel scum in downtown Tokyo.  
  
---  
  
My god what the hell is this thing! A berserk eva...wonderful how I end up baby sitting one. Even better when it's throwing a temper tantrum!!! David's thoughts were a tornado of ideas. He had(much to his disbelief) wrestled on top of the purple beast and had it's chest pinned to the ground. And all with one arm he thought.  
  
---  
  
"Ahh...wondergirl what happened to the angel?!"  
  
Rei was still on her little hill and was lying flat on the ground with her rifle propped up as she sighted along the western half of Tokyo-3. Her radar was playing merry-go-round between screaming red pattern and no pattern. Her targeting brackets sweeped the city as she searched. Asuka was in the middle of her search pattern and they were systematically scouring each section. Suddenly the squid like form of the angel stood up.  
  
"2 blocks to the right, 3 blocks behind you" Rei fired her rifle peppering the target with round after round as Asuka whipped around and swung at several appendages that were closing in on her. Asuka was steadily getting closer to the target and Rei was half finished her third clip when David's voice came over the com again.  
  
"I can't hold him much longer...HURRY UP!!!...SON OF A BITCH BIT ME!" unit 01 had flipped around and was biting into the grey eva's left shoulder and pushing it off at the same time. David balanced his eva just in time to watch eva 01 whip it's hand forward in a slap. His mind didn't realize that the hand no longer had digits but sharp needle like claws. When the hand hit, it ripped off a part of the face plating along the left cheek leaving a nasty gash. David couldn't take the pain and his eva deactivated along with the pilot.  
  
A roar was heard in the direction that Asuka remembered where Shinji was but her mind didn't click right away. She didn't realise that one of the team was down, only that the angel in front of her was still defying her, taunting her, whipping it's arms at her. She battled closer to it and swung her weapon into the core. The core darkened and soon the angel dying down. Asuka smirked seeing the remaining arms collapse around her.  
---  
  
This victory was in the bag.  
  
"Pilot Sohryu"  
  
"What wondergirl? You calling to congratulate me already?" The battle may have been over for less then a minute but Asuka was already basking in the warmth of her victory that she felt coming.  
  
"I have lost visual of unit 01 after it defeated pilot Cever" Asuka snapped out of her gloating and spun around. She could clearly see the cable that lead to the eva which was crumpled against the streets but no sign of the purple monster that housed Shinji.  
  
"WHAT?! Why weren't you watching them!!"  
  
"I was making your back safe..." Asuka really didn't feel like figuring out what Rei implied by that statement because she felt that the battle wasn't over yet.  
  
"Sohryu. My sensors detect movement 3 blocks to your right, 5 blocks back"  
  
"What the hell is wrong with that eva anyhow?" Asuka said viewing the streets behind her.  
  
"Movement...it's closing in..."  
  
"So you think you can beat me Asuka?" Shinji's com-window popped up in front of her. He had a little grin on his face that would have been better used for chit-chat at tea time.  
  
"Damn straight Third"  
  
"Well you'd better keep better track of your teammates"  
  
"David was a Baka! A rookie! I'm the great Asuka Langley Sohryu! The best of the best!"  
  
"Too bad Rei ain't 'keeping your back safe' no more" Asuka spun around and saw that where the blue eva was there was just a green hill, a shattered positron rifle and chunks of blue armour littering the ground. She approached cautiously and saw a mangled blue eva propped against a low building to the right. If it were human, Asuka could have sworn it looked like it was tanning, if not for all the nasty cuts across the body.  
  
"So what, that's just wondergirl for ya. Never keeping her guard up" Asuka spied a shadow between 2 buildings behind her. She spun and fired the rifle, but the movement was gone and the high speed rounds peppered across the city.  
  
"That will be coming out of your pay check Asuka" Misato said grinning ear to ear.  
  
"Well excuse me, for piloting a multi billion dollar piece of high tech junk that's supposed to defend all of humanity"  
  
"100 yen says Shinji wins"  
  
"Stay outta this rookie!" David's view screen showed him grinning. His smile suddenly widened.  
  
"I'll add 1,000 yen if he bear hugs you" Asuka continued to scan the buildings around her while snickering. Shinji's voice came up on a sound only screen.  
  
"David... your an idiot...that won't even cover the hospital bill when she's done with me" Shinji's monotone voice came into their ears.  
  
"I'll cover the bill Shinji" Misato grinned widely at the exchange and sat in a chair she brought with her in the main office watching the eva pilots duke it out in a virtual Tokyo-3. Ritsuko had programmed this little 'game' in order to train for eva/eva battles. The last fight had been a wake up call and Misato didn't have a snooze option this time.  
  
It had been a week since that last attack. All fears were unjustified about a berserk eva continuing to trash the defenders. Once the angel that held control over Shinji was killed, the berserk eva just deactivated. Other then some nasty bruises on Shinji and David nothing to bad had really happened. Well Shinji's thinking pattern had been Swiss cheesed from the high sync rate for a few days but he was back to normal now. That David fellow had become pretty good friends with the pilots and he seemed to bring a bit of cheer into the pilots lives, by making silly remakes and joking around with his co-workers. He was a nice guy, with a quiet joke on his tongue waiting to be freed, though he had a tendency to really get on your nerves after prolonged exposure to his jokes. Luckily he never bothered with them as time went on, but rather turned to gentle teasing.   
  
His eva was finally complete and had a dark blue base with black outlines. Because the material used to make David's eva wasn't what was used to make the Japanese eva's, Ritsuko was forced to construct a robotic left arm. It rather looked like a normal eva arm but it wouldn't bleed much like the eva's if struck their. This also worked in his advantage because he couldn't feel pain from that arm.   
  
However his eva was rubble in the virtual world at the moment as Asuka surveyed her surroundings. It had been a 3 on 1, with David, Rei and Asuka versus Shinji. Shinji was the best suited for sneaking his eva around the city and he was proving it by knocking off this opponents one by one. David had been somewhat easy. He charged ahead of them and Shinji had pulled David to the ground by his cable and with one knife sweep David grumbled his way to the nearest viewing feed to watch how the rest were doing. Rei had been a tricky one. She was safely on top of a hill with the positron rifle sweeping the area that her allies were. Shinji had snook around the hill using buildings as his cover until he was behind her by about half a mile. He had leapt and pinned the eva to the ground and used his knife to slash the weapon. With another deft swing of the prog knife, Rei made her way from the virtual entry plug to where David watched the action.  
  
"Misato... your not helping the situation!" Asuka replied her eva sweeping the nearby buildings with her crosshairs. Still nothing.  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"Make it 2,000 yen?" David grinned as he watched Shinji shift his eva into a crouching position.  
  
"Deal" Asuka was getting peeved. These idiots kept talking and there was no action where is that idiot?!  
  
"Less talking more figh*UFF*" Asuka exhaled as she her world suddenly leaped out at her. 2 purple arms rapped around her eva and she felt like a sponge being rung over a bucket.  
  
"BAKA-HENTAI?! Oh It's on now!!!!"  
  
---  
  
The 4 pilots had lined up in order of their number. Rei stood looking normal in her plugsuit with a Shinji that couldn't make up his mind if he should be angry from Asuka's slap or thrilled that he made easy money. Asuka stood arms posted at her hips with mostly the same expression as Shinji, pissed that he had done that yet happy that she won. David the 4th child stood to her left looking really down trodden, a red mark on his face for putting the idea in Shinji's head and brooding because he owned 2,000 yen he didn't have.  
  
'Like really, who knew Shinji would do it' ran through David's head.  
  
"Good work, Asuka" Misato beamed looking over the stats of the simulation battle.  
  
"Of course, I did good. I'm Asuka. That alone means victory!" Asuka placed a hand over her chest and assumed a stance fit for a super model. Smartly no one made a comment about what else Asuka probably stood for.  
  
"However, this is not good enough. Losing 66.66% of the team is not acceptable is it?" Rei questioned. Asuka remained in her pose but her eyes stared little daggers towards Rei.  
  
"Very true Rei. Your all skilled for single combat, however your team efforts are less then par for defenders of humanity" Ritsuko said walking into the briefing room. She had assorted papers under her left arm that she handed to Misato. Misato gazed at the papers for a second before walking off.  
  
"Damned paper work... Will the world ever be rid of it's evil?" Misato exited the room. Ritsuko watched Misato until the door closed then she faced the pilots.  
  
"Alright. Orders state you need better team effort. The sooner the better" This perked David's left eye brow.  
  
"So by orders you are to report to the simulator's every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 4 pm for the next week" Ritsuko said this and headed for the door.  
  
"Oh and don't forget Shinji's 2,000 yen David" Ritsuko left, a small smile on her lips, leaving the 4 pilots starring at her back as the door closed.  
  
"I'd ask if this was a sick joke, but she's a superior..." David blinked "So much for Saturday"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
If you didn't know (though most of you do know probably) Japanese have saturday morning classes. And sorry if Shinji seemed OOC for that last part. I just wanted to see what he would be like if he had a spine. Where I live, I spell Toji as Toji, Sohryu as Sohryu and Gendo as Asshole(well maybe not the last part but I was tempted to often).   
  
If you loved the fighting, the gore and swearing... then I'm apologizing right now. Except for the swearing the other 2 will be dying down as the pilots attempt to live their lives after one of the most exhausting months of their lives(yes, everything so far took place in ONE MONTH!). I don't know maybe I'm soft... maybe I'm bored... Maybe I'm just another lunatic fanfic writer that wants to mess with the pilots social lives. There's only one way to find out, and that is to read the next installment of ACOS!!!  
  
R&R. Live long and read fan-fics! 


	7. 07: Return to the world

Disclaimer: Honestly I've put one in every chapter so far. Just go look at any of the earlier ones. I don't own Eva!!! However I do have first rights on my ACC David Cever so HANDS OFF!!!!  
  
Sorry I haven't updated this lately(or at all for the past month...eh heh he..) But I'm BACK! and with a vengeance. for those of you wondering about Shinji's change of heart at the end of the last chapter you'll get to see the process of WHY he had a backbone in that part!! Oh and the dates do have a significance.  
  
"..." talking  
'...' thinking  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
  
ACallingOfSouls  
Chapter 07 : Return to the world  
~~~~~~~~  
  
~The day after unit 01's recovery~ Oct 24th  
  
Ritsuko sat at the table in the crew lounge, enjoying one of the few guilty pleasures she could enjoy in public. She exhaled and felt the smoke curl up wafting it's way past her nostril's towards the air vent. Her blonde hair hung behind her head in messy clumps, a result of too many working hours and not enough time to manage hygiene. Her lab coat hung off the chair as her arms rested at comforting angles. She was almost managing NERV's projects on schedule, in fact she smiled as she remembered how some projects were ahead of schedule even finished. The work on eva 4 mark II, formerly known as 'the grey eva' finally had it's left arm ready for installation. It had been completely robotic so it was a piece of cake for Ritsuko's skills.  
  
Ritsuko opened her eyes and watched as the dying embers of her last cig die in the ash tray on the table. Her quiet time was interrupting by a door opening behind her.  
  
"Well, Well... your hiding from the reality of life too?" Ritsuko merely smiled at Misato's words. 'Maybe, the caffeine is running low in my system or something' she wondered.  
  
"Misato, wonderful to see you again. How's your hell treating you today, or as some of the techies like to mistake it as, how's life?" Misato didn't answer as she stood in front of the coffee machine filling a spare mug with the black liquid. Ritsuko stiffled a giggle when she saw Misato shudder after almost inhaling the sludge.  
  
"I really wonder how we get along if our personalities are almost as different as our preferences of coffee" Misato said as she set another pot on the highest setting she could find. Ritsuko stole another puff from the cigarette before ending it's life by facing planting it with it's brethren.  
  
"They say opposites attract" Misato sat across from Ritsuko and found the table's texture worth a long look. Ritsuko finding the conversation dying decided to bring up what was on Misato's mind.  
  
"So how's our Shinji Ikari doing?" Ritsuko almost spat out the pilot's family name. Gendo Ikari was a bastard people manipulator. How could such a caring young boy come from that monster behind the glasses?  
  
"Well... he's in a state of comatose" Misato fiddled with her empty mug eyeing the coffee machine as it chugged about it's duty "I really didn't think he'd be ok after that angel had captured him..."  
  
Misato's paused answer all that Ritsuko had heard. One of the medical personnel in charge of managing the pilots health had left a report saying that the child was exactly that, perfectly fine on the outside, but his mental pattern was a little 'messy' thus currently he rested in a constant state of rest...comatose.  
  
"He will break out of it... I'm sure" Ritsuko said finally sitting up. Misato only nodded half hearted.  
  
"He's the invincible Shinji..." Misato gave a half hearted smile while using Asuka's term for Shinji's luck on the battlefield. Ritsuko left the room at that.  
  
---  
  
"A world that anything I wanted could be mine... another cruel joke..." Shinji mumbled to himself in the darkness.  
  
He'd been here... what, 2 hours? 3 days? A week? There was no way to tell. All he knew was that now he was alone, completely alone.  
  
"Did I wish this for myself? To be locked away in eternal darkness for my sins?" Shinji turned around again the darkness unyielding.  
  
"Left behind... spent, used and toyed with... I'm more a doll then Rei ever will be..." Shinji turned again finding the darkness still behind and in front of him. He rose a hand to his head.  
  
"At least... let me see what could have been mine..." The darkness flowed and the world reshaped to a familiar kitchen he had seen perhaps 100 times now. However as he watched it he felt detached... like it was nothing but hollow husks reinacting some sort of play. He watched it with tears. Not because of what he is denied but because he no longer feels anything from it.  
  
"Empty..."  
  
---  
  
Asuka walked through the hospital halls searching out for the room that Shinji was currently housed in. Oddly enough it was the same one that Shinji and Asuka had shared. Looking at the door from this side though shows that it is in fact not really a door.  
  
"More like a movable wall" She mumbled as she slid open the door and closed it behind herself. A resounding *CLICK* from the multiple lock bolts in the door frame made itself clear. She narrowed her eyes as she remembered why she got stuck in her again.  
  
The Tokyo-3 cityscape came back to full view as Asuka remembered diving the prog knife through the angel's core. When the angel shuddered and sunk into itself she felt relieved.  
  
"Well wondergirl. That's another angel" Asuka smirked at Rei's com-window.  
  
"Now to see if the hypothesis is correct. Unit 01 should be finished without the mental contamination" Rei sighted along the streets the where Unit's 4B and 01. However, only 4B was where it should be.  
  
"Well? what are those idiots doing?" Asuka was moving her eva for a better view, too bad the industrial section had some of tallest buildings in the way.  
  
"4B is down. Unit 01 is not in my sighting ability" Rei coolly scanned the surrounding regions but found nothing. 'Odd... monsters the size of skyscrapers can't just...'  
  
"What the He..." The rest of Asuka's curse was muddled by the sound of metal scraping asphalt over the com-channel. Eva 01 leaned over the fallen eva 02 pinning it under it. a slight ooze came from the open mouth drooling onto the trapped unit below.  
  
"23% eva 02 bio-contamination!"  
  
"Sohryu?" Rei saw Asuka pinned under a certain bio-mechanical purple monster. However it was powered down, it's fiery green orbs, now were lightless. Asuka pushed off the crouching eva and it toppled to the streets as Asuka jerkingly rose. The eva's left arm had what would have passed for that medieval black plague. Purple and bulbous in regions big and small starting from the hand ending about lower left shoulder.  
  
"Bio-contamination has stopped at 23%... wait something weird is going on..." Maya fumbled for an answer from her screens.  
  
"The bio contamination has... well, stopped. It is now just dead cells" Asuka was heard uttering grunts and curses. It's wasn't the bridge crews fault, for her pain. Pain... damn it felt like her arm caught fire then suddenly froze way below sub zero, adding serious pins and needles to the list didn't make it any better.  
  
"Asuka... report" Asuka looked up and uncurled from the ball she had some how managed to become.  
  
"Fine... feels... like hell but... fine..."  
  
"Move unit 01 onto one of the recovery zones. Rei, return through your nearest recovery zone" Asuka manhandled the dead weight with her one good arm and begun to descend under the streets.  
  
Asuka propped her belongings onto her new bed for god knows how long, and wandered through the connecting door. She opened the door and sat next to Shinji in the hospital room.  
  
"I guess we've stuck together 'AGAIN'" Asuka muttered crossing her arms and glaring at the nearest lamp set on his desk. 'First the damned sync training, then the hospital trip after that rematch with Sachiel wannabe'  
  
"Then wham, not even 2 weeks later we're shoved back in the same damn hospital room cause of another Angel attack..." Asuka sighed as she watched Shinji's comatose form.  
  
---  
  
'I promised to protect him... Did I fail him?' Rei pondered as she looked out the window in her room. 'The angel had possessed him... correct...?'  
  
Rei's gaze wandered over the dark room scanning the floor, the curtains and the few(sparse) furniture. The light sliced across the gloom as it made it's way through the dirty curtains and the beam that hit the glass of water shattered into a rainbow spraying the room was small dazzling lights. The effect was only temporary as the wind that moved the curtains died down.  
  
"Ikari was removed from the eva alive but... did I break my promise to protect him?" She looked back at the bed sheets in front of her and pondered this line of questioning.  
  
"No... I haven't but..." Rei still couldn't get the picture of Shinji Ikari's limp form being hauled out of the entry plug. Arms dangling, head down and LCL dripping off him as her was rushed to a contamination ward.  
  
"But..." When she had changed to her normal clothing she had attempted to locate him. The hospital staff stated that he was in deep comatose state and had been in the isolation ward due to the recent battle.  
  
Everything Rei tried failed. She had attempted to out rank the staff, however the order came from an Alpha level order and Rei can't over ride the commander's wishes. Then she tried to find Shinji on her own yet when she did find him he was behind 2 metre thick armoured walls with viewing windows just as thick and reinforced.  
  
"Did I disobey the commander by searching for Ikari?" Rei now flipped the new question over through her thought process and silence again over took the dirty apartment.  
  
---  
  
"What do ya mean I can't go see him!?" David bashed his hand on the nearest desk as the nurse on duty eyed him.  
  
"He's in isolation ward, no visitors" David glared at the nurse like she was the most appalling thing he'd seen.  
  
"Then why did Sohryu go then, HUH?"  
  
"That is because Sohryu is sharing that isolation ward" David's jaw dropped.  
  
"What?! Roll that over me again!!" The nurse sighed and explained in greater detail.  
  
"Due to the fact that the evangelion unit 02 was thoroughly infected by a non angelic source but by a fellow evangelion, commander has deemed pilot Asuka langley Sohryu to be in the same state as pilot Shinji Ikari" David rolled this over his head. This took a while as he sorted through possible arguments but sighed as they each ended up the same.  
  
"Well, when is 'PILOT Ikari' going to be released?" the nurse checked her data files on the computer on her desk and shook her head.  
  
"Unknown"  
  
David rubbed his head with his hands  
  
"Wonderful"  
  
---  
  
"So Ikari, what's your current plans for this evening?" Gendo glanced back at Fuyutsuki who had broken the almost sacred silence of his dark temple(office).  
  
"I plan to salvage this"  
  
"How's that? The angels haven't been appearing as fore-told and we are getting thoroughly beaten by these nasty little critters that we don't have a name for"  
  
"They are code named as demons as of now" Fuyutsuki smirked  
  
"Well it's about time, I was getting a headache trying to sort of the true angels and these copies" Gendo now glared at his sub commander who promptly lost his smug attitude  
  
"I already have doctor Akagi sorting out the new threats" Fuyutsuki regained his posture and faced Gendo again.  
  
"So what did we face this month?"  
  
"They were challenges from another..." Fuyutsuki perked an eyebrow before Gendo continued.  
  
"The first that was fought was the keeper of Nemesis..." That made so sense to Fuyutsuki. The first angel that was fought was the 3rd Sachiel. That effectively made eva-01 and 3rd angel Nemesises.  
  
"The second was the wielder of shadows..." Fuyutsuki had watched that fight and had to agree that it was a fitting title.  
  
"The third was the demon of rebirth..." The images of that demon flashed through his mind and he had noted the similarities between it and the 4th angel.  
  
"The fourth was the stealer of souls..." Fuyutsuki pondered which of the 2 demons had that title, but decided that the crab creature fit that title very well.  
  
"The fifth was the wielder of souls..." Fuyutsuki nodded in agreed meant. That was almost indefinitely the newly dead angel. The crab demon stole Shinji and the squid demon used him.  
  
"There are still more to come but my new project allows for this"  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Simple... we kill them"  
  
---  
  
"So Shinji stay or hit?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Stay it is"  
  
Asuka flipped her hand onto the top of the removable tray table then turned over Shinji's cards. She blinked and then fumed.  
  
"Damn invincible Shinji... even beats me in Blackjack in a comatose state..."  
  
Asuka fumed again but her flame died out when she noticed nothing really changed. Shinji still sat on the bed in a slightly upright position with the UV bag still strapped onto his arm. The drip, drip being her only companion she almost felt like beating something.  
  
"Shinji... didn't we promise that we'd watch out for each other..." Asuka sat on the bed and watched his chest slowly rise and fall.  
  
"I don't want to be alone... again..." Asuka leaned over and opened Shinji's eyes and peered into their dark depths. She quickly closed them and hugged herself after seeing them.  
  
"Just... like...momma... before she..."  
  
---  
  
The children giggled, the parents sighed happily. Nothing changed it was a state of replay, limbo to be exact. Shinji stopped and wondered if this dream paradise would be better then what happened to him when he was back to where he was before. He knew this wasn't real, he felt a slight feeling like a draft at the base of his neck that told him that if he turned around he'd be back to where he came from. Back to... the world he left. Shinji stared at the hollow images and slightly turned his head away from the parents show of affection. That's when he heard it.  
  
"...alone... again..."  
  
'Asuka?' Shinji listened more closely and overheard a slight sob after something else was said. 'Asuka wouldn't be crying... she's too strong...'.  
  
"Shinji...not like momma...ease..." Asuka's voice faded in and out of Shinji's hearing. He then realised that he was causing pain. He may be painless here with his false memory but what had he done outside... 'There is one who could still use me?'  
  
Shinji turned all the way around and the breeze turned to be a full blown hurricane as the darkness swapped him.  
  
---  
  
"You left me too even after promising to watch me... why... am I so evil so hated that I must be alone..." Asuka was slowly wrapped in a tight embrace.  
  
A soothing voice whispered little words of encouragement and joy. Asuka looked up from the ball she'd become and looked straight into Shinji's open dark blue eye's. She found herself on the edge of the bed closed to Shinji and had cried out her heart. She had stayed there until now crying and curled in a ball hoping the world would go away. Her pink pajamas were shaded from the dried tears now and Shinji's blue hospital robe contrasted them.  
  
"I promised you Asuka... I'd never leave you..." Asuka sat in his arms in the locked room in the isolation ward and she slowly fell into a restful sleep in the arms of her invincible Shinji.  
  
"Thank you... for not leaving me... too..."  
  
---  
  
Gendo sat and watched the little drama on the screen before him. His mouth conformed to a smirk. The effects of watching this 3 day drama had warmed his heart for just a moment. Asuka had sat there in a curled up ball for 3 days next to Shinji. It was now October 26th. She had been whispering something to herself for days now. She even started to break down into tears by the second day. Her latest mental reports before the battle had warned of a possible break down if she started loosing her anchors. So had done just that. He stripped her of all her anchors except for a comatose boy she had come to rely on.  
  
Gendo didn't feel like playing match maker but it was needed if the new plan was to succeed.  
  
"The fall of the second had to be sped up and controlled. Otherwise we may not make it" Gendo spoke aloud the words Fuyutsuki earlier told him. It was too true. If they only had to worry about the angels, losing the second wouldn't hurt the plan. In fact it might move it along. However these mockeries were very powerful and it took multiple evangelions to take one down. Add to the fact that theories about what would happen if they came into contact with Lillith or Adam all came out with a worst possible scenario.  
  
"Match maker, match maker, match maker man" Gendo hummed to himself as he stared at the sleeping children.  
  
"Make, me a match, to finish the plan..."  
  
Gendo smiled a little smile that brought chills to Fuyutsuki...  
  
...His plan was back on track...  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Short but SWEET eh? Well, we say that Gendo was slowly despairing into oblivion as these ex-angels(demons) were making their appearances. So now he's taking a personal role in making the pilots stay in ready condition. As you can see he's a puppet master(and might I add he's my third favourite character in EVANGELION too!!) How will Shinji and Asuka adapt to their new/strengthened bond?  
  
Read then do me a favour by leaving your review. I don't care if it's good, bad or a flame. I want everyone's opinion!! If you absolutely, MUST, reach me my E-mail is DrakeforBake@hotmail.com(not that you couldn't have found that out in my profile) and I will respond in some form(either by posting a review, replying to the message or making a note in my newest chapter)  
  
Till later cya.  
  
PS: Thanks for the encouragement Jacob, I almost gave up on this. This Omakes for you!  
  
_-~Omake~-_  
  
Asuka shuffled another hand of Blackjack for herself and Shinji as they sat in the hospital room.  
  
"Hit or stay?"  
  
"..."  
  
"A hit? If you insist!" *SLAP*  
  
Asuka grinned as she added another bruise to Shinji's face. Amazing how this kid's a better stress reliever when he's not even awake.  
  
Gendo sat watching the 2 from his desk with a shocked expression. His own son was getting the beating of a lifetime and wasn't even defending himself... This is a MOCKERY!!! A SHAME!!!  
  
"I CAN'T IN GOOD CONSCIOUS LET THIS CONTINUE!!!" Gendo stared at Shinji in his view screen " I DIS-OWN YOU, YOU SHAME THE IKARI NAME!!!"  
  
Shinji's eye's opened up and he looked around. For so reason he felt infinitely happy... too bad smiling caused his cheek to hurt.  
  
"Hit or stay?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Hit it is!" *SLAP* Shinji returned to the bliss of comatose with a small smile as the words circled his head.  
  
"He ain't my father"  
  
_-~End of Omake~-_ 


	8. 08 : Feelings Return of everyday life

Disclaimer: I really should have done what I did for my other fic and make chapter 1 my one and only disclaimer for the story... Oh well... little late to fix that up eh? I own NOTHING OF GAINAX! I OWN NOTHING OF EVANGELION! However I've always wondered if there's a little red head girl in Germany right now who's three years old...But that's beside the point!~ On with the show!!  
  
In case I wasn't clear in my earlier chapter(and due to the fact that I FORGOT to mention that...) At the end of the 6th Chapter when they were training about a week or week and a half had passed from the battle to the training. The last chapter and the next few will be explaining all that happened in that time frame. One question should obviously be "HOW THE HELL DID SHINJI GROW A SPINE!?~!@#$" and rightly so, I'll be explaining this and why Gendo's gone off the to the Loony-bin(Well not really but I wanted to say that).  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
ACallingOfSouls  
Chapter 08 : Feelings? Return of everyday life  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
October 26th - early morning.  
  
"I promised you Asuka... I'd never leave you..." Asuka sat in Shinji's arms in the locked room in the isolation ward and she slowly fell into a restful sleep in the arms of her invincible Shinji.  
  
"Thank you... for not leaving me... too..." Asuka murmured as her eye's closed.  
  
Shinji sat up as Asuka slowly dozed off to sleep. He watched her in his arms as she seemed to have dreamed of something pleasing to her. Or maybe she was really lucky and dreamt of nothing at all. Shinji sat back and remembered the one thing that hadn't faded from his false dream, it was Asuka. She was maybe 7 years older, with no neural connections holding her hair up, allowing it's early morning tangled mess to spray around in seemingly random directions. And she wore the most beautiful smile he'd ever imagined... No second most beautiful.  
  
Shinji saw her smiling in his arms now peacefully resting, unaware of the harmful world and it's cruel tendencies.  
  
"I'll make you another promise Asuka..." she remained unmoving as she dozed "I'll promise to be more then just a pillar of support... I just don't know how..."  
  
--- 1 hour later - 6:47(What an ungodly hour. I feel guilty for doing this to them but...)  
  
"Fuyutsuki. It appears our Avatars have awakened" Gendo summoned his sub commander to peer into the view screen Gendo motioned towards.  
  
"Yes... So shall you send in the nurses and the doctors with their flashy badges to pester the children before we set them free from their unjustified imprisonment?" Gendo glared through Fuyutsuki and again Fuyutsuki fidgeted under the gaze. 'Dangerous ground... was it the comment or the reference that set him off?'.  
  
"No need. You know as well as I do that the camera's have given us everything we'll need to report" Gendo stood up from his chair and turned off the viewer. Gendo then motioned for Fuyutsuki to leave.  
  
"What? Now your hiding secrets from me too?" Gendo flipped a switch and the room faded from view. 'Oh... That kind of report. Damn SEELE and their ability to get their noses into everyone's business'.  
  
"Unless you want to join me for an hour long debate on E-projects efficient uses, the humanity instrumentality projects importance and the newest gossip the old men have" Fuyutsuki smirked. Gendo seemed almost light hearted, he had summed up about every meeting's schedule and made a joke about it. 'A bad joke, but a joke no of the less'.  
  
"I can't leave my commander's fate alone with the hands of those people. Idiots, old or un-informed, no one deserves that" Fuyutsuki and Gendo then waited in silence as slowly 12 black monoliths appeared around them.  
  
'Like a group of vultures'  
  
--- 8:56(am, Japanese time)  
  
David stood at the door and rapped repeatedly. There was the sound of perhaps a scuffle... *UMPF* someone getting knocked onto the floor?  
  
"Who the hell knocks in this place?!" and the sound of Asuka too boot.  
  
The door swung open and Asuka and David stared at each other for a moment before Shinji made himself untangled from the bed sheets. What had paused Asuka was the fact that he held several boxes of stuff. Looking inside the boxes it was just a random assortment of... well, stuff. A sock there, shoe there, magazine stuffed over here... you know... stuff.  
  
"What are you doing... with my stuff?" Asuka could tell it was clearly some of her things that hung out of the box flaps. David glared at her.  
  
"Your free to go. I came here earlier to check on you guys but only was allowed to enter now... when you can go..." David plopped the boxes on the ground and stretched his back knocking a few kinks out of his back.  
  
"Da hell, did you put in that thing anyway?" Asuka glared at him as Shinji came back into the room. Earlier he had slipped out to change but coming back he saw very little had changed. Asuka's lip seemed to curl up but Shinji bodily stood between them at that moment.  
  
"Let's just get out of here ok..." Shinji's spine seemed to have fell out of alignment after that. However the two possible combatants had their glares interrupted and thus gave up the staring contest.  
  
"Fine... I'm sorry for that Asuka really" Asuka perked an eyebrow and was about to reply but David continued "But do you pack bowling balls or something in your cases cause UMPF!!!" a solid hit from a thrown pillow silenced David.  
  
---  
  
Asuka and Shinji walked down the NERV hallway with David just ahead muttering about heavy boxes. Shinji seemed introverted while Asuka seemed troubled.  
  
"Shinji..." Shinji glanced over at Asuka as they passed another closed door.  
  
"Umm, yeah?"  
  
"That didn't happen back there... ok..." Shinji felt somewhat crushed but in hindsight she was only grappling onto him out of desperation not love... He hadn't gotten his hopes up but he still felt everyone of them crash down and smoulder in their own ashes.  
  
"...Yeah... Sure Asuka..." Asuka noticed the sudden drop in his voice. It was only slightly obvious. If she hadn't been living with him for the past few months she wouldn't have picked up on it.  
  
"Look Shinji... If you feel so bad about it let's just get the stupid dinner out of the way as fast as possible..." Asuka grumbled silently to herself shiest, how long have we delayed it anyway? 2 weeks? 3 weeks?'  
  
Shinji had forgotten the dinner he promised Asuka. 'Perhaps I could have a chance with Asuka... just Gotta prove to her that...'  
  
Shinji paused his thinking for a moment 'Prove to her what? That I'm not a pervert? I live across the apartment hall from her and Misato still hasn't been convinced to install locks on any doors other then the bathroom' Shinji kept musing 'Prove to her that I'm suave and sexy? Ha.... I've lived with her for months now and she could easily see through anything that I erect in a last ditch effort to impress her...'  
  
Shinji sighed defeated(In hindsight I wonder if that's a word) 'Why do I want to impress her again...? Did I forgot how she can be...?'  
  
"Oh Shinji..." Shinji looked up, he found he was on auto-pilot and was now exiting a elevator following David through the NERV gate way. Asuka was just a bit in front of him.  
  
"I'm glad to see your ok..." Asuka continued to walk through the door and she left behind a startled Shinji. He saw he face flash for a second towards him when she spoke. She had a very faint smile and a bright twinkle in the depths of her perfect sapphire blue eyes.  
  
'Ok, now I remember why I wanted to impress her' He gaped for a moment before David turned back to look for him.  
  
"Dude try to keep up. It's not fun being lost in NERV HQ..." Shinji knew David must have been talking from experience. Every one of the evangelion pilots, excluding Rei as far as Shinji knew, had gotten lost several times in the underground labyrinth.  
  
"Oh come on it's not that bad. There's technicians and personnel everywhere. Just ask for directions" David glared at Shinji  
  
"Yeah, they played the nastiest trick to me. They directed me towards the commanders office... I ended up barging in on him" Shinji visibly shuddered but smirked on the inside. That would be something that could be funny from a different view.  
  
"Wait a minute... The NERV personnel all treat us pretty good. You must have done something..." Shinji looked at David and he seemed to flinch and changed the subject.  
  
"So what held you back? Wanted to get a better look at Rei?" Shinji paused and looked behind himself to see Rei walking right past him. She didn't stop until the entry doors were in front of her. She didn't say anything until she had half disappeared behind the door.  
  
"I'm glad your in good health Ikari Shinji" David blinked, Shinji blinked, Gendo sneezed but he just had a head cold. David slyly leaned over Shinji.  
  
"My, my Ikari Shinji. You delightful dazzler, you sultan of smooth. You actually got Rei to talk to you without trying. What's your secret?" Shinji backed away from a prying comrade and opened to entry door with his NERV ID.  
  
"I don't know... something about girls and today..." Shinji blinked when he noticed a slip in his defence. David blinked and Gendo filled another Kleenex(TM) before dropping it into a half full waste basket(damn head colds).  
  
"GIRLS?! You mean more then one!? SPILL SPILL SPILL!!!" Shinji closed his eye's and walked home as the chattering idiot started rhythming off every girl known in Shinji's existence.  
  
--- 10:46(am still)  
  
"PARTYYYYYYY!!!" Shinji blinked, Asuka blinked, Misato blinked, David fainted, Pen Pen continued shouting "PAAARRRRTTYYYYYYY"  
  
"Misato, we're home!" Misato groggily rose her head from the kitchen table. She glanced at the half finished chili sausage lasagna(Is it me or does Misato's food always have to be the weirdest combination of foods possible without risking instant death??) and scraped off one of morsels that was imbedded on her face.  
  
'Ok... 20 beers is too much in 3 minutes If I passed out eating dinner...wait when did I make dinner... oohhh who cares, Need beer' Misato's hand managed the beer side of the fridge while her mind attempted to solve the mystery of why she woke up. 3 figures standing in front of her seemed to answer that pretty well.  
  
"SO what you doing Kids?" Misato's language was slightly slurred and oddly put together. Shinji had humourlessly named this the B.M.M.B time(Before Misato's Morning Beer) a long time ago.  
  
"Ah, well your two charges had healed and here they are... you didn't pick us up at the door like you said you would..." David pointed at the calender that was currently posted. On the date it was written 'Don't forgot to pick up kids!!*Insert lipstick kiss*'  
  
Misato glared at the calender like it was offending her very presence but she sombered when she realized both her children were safe! 'Did I refer to them as my...' Misato gave up the thought and caught them in a bear hug.  
  
Shinji gave a muffled shout from under Misato's grasp and Asuka managed to worm out 3 seconds before Shinji muttering something German. Probably swear words Shinji thought as he caught his breath.  
  
"Nice to see you too Misato" Shinji's dour mood slowly settled back on him as Misato stole Asuka aside muttering about preparations.  
  
David had his hands in his pockets and his smile had disappeared from the hugging incident. Shinji looked at David, and his smile returned.  
  
"Your unbearable! You can't stand her bear hugs... get it?" Shinji's eyebrows fell with his mood.  
  
---  
  
Gendo sat at his desk slightly leaning back in his chair eye's closed and thinking. Several minutes passed and his hand slowly lowered a report dropped off by the hospital ward. Fuyutsuki walked into the office this moment. He didn't stop walking until he was next to Gendo in his usual spot. Gendo pinched his nose for a moment before fixing his glasses. Fuyutsuki noted this as one of Gendo's old nervous/anxious trait.  
  
"Didn't you see something you liked?"  
  
"Yes. My old plan going down the drain"  
  
"So? It's only a plan. I know for a fact that you always seem to have one" Gendo looked up at his one time professor and barely hid a smirk.  
  
"Are you so sure?"  
  
"With you? Never. Just the faith of an old man holding me together some days" Fuyutsuki replied. Gendo huffed for a moment and fixed his glasses back at the top of his nose.  
  
"Faith can be easily see as ignorance"  
  
"Ignorance is bliss"  
  
"Ignorance is death" Fuyutsuki smiled slightly at Gendo. 'He's definitely feeling better if he's talking about abstractions of life'.  
  
"So tell me. What has dragged you back to our Earth?" Gendo glanced over his glasses which had slipped down his face. He put them back up with a shove and grunted.  
  
"The fall of the second didn't go as planned?" Gendo noted a small touch of worry under his calm surface. Gendo shook his head. Fuyutsuki relaxed the worry having left and was replaced by his cool mask of confidence.  
  
"The one that shall give us deliverance..." Fuyutsuki spun this around his head for a moment and he arched his eyebrows when he realized what unsettled Gendo.  
  
"The third child...Shinji" Gendo closed his eye's and his stony mask crept into place. Fuyutsuki had read the templates himself. Gendo spoke the verse that unsettled them both  
  
"And so the warrior bringing deliverance will fall from glory and rest among those that lie but never sleep. To give faith but lose his own..." Gendo paused.  
  
"Upon his broken wings humanity shall ascend... but at the price of all held dear" Fuyutsuki finished. Gendo nodded and slowly opened his eye's. Fuyutsuki stood silent vigil over his commander.  
  
"Can we change the outcome?" Gendo nodded to Fuyutsuki  
  
"There is only one passage that can lead us to our end now... not SEELE's" Fuyutsuki felt question marks appearing over his head as he attempted to remember every verse of the loosely translated texts. He almost had it in his grasp when Gendo spoke.  
  
"The warrior with blood stained hands shall be revered and his choice shall open the new path through the forests of darkness, leading to the fountain of life..."  
  
Fuyutsuki nodded. Gendo opened his eye's and desperately begun planning how to achieve this new end.  
  
---  
  
"Get it? Admit it that was a good one!"  
  
"David... no more..." Shinji sipped his cocoa on the living room couch. David had stayed around with his grin. He hadn't bothered to ask to do something but about every so often he'd try to lighten the mood with a joke or two. A bad joke Shinji noted.  
  
"Alright if you say so Shin-jito" Shinji once again closed his eye's. This David character really knew how to be annoying. Purposely? Maybe. However Shinji couldn't stand for another nick-name.  
  
"Alright David-o. What do you want? Your really starting to get on my nerves" David grinned again but this was more of a sloppy grin that translated to 'whoops' in most languages.  
  
"I was wondering if you had a costume selected" Shinji blinked.  
  
"A costume?" David nodded eagerly.  
  
"Yeah it's amazing how much is getting involved dude!"  
  
"...Ah David your not being specific... be more specific" Shinji's tone perked up Asuka's ear in her room and she leaned out.  
  
"Oh sorry. I guess Asuka would like to know also" Shinji leaped out of the chair when she laid a hand on his shoulder. She smirked and gave a giggle.  
  
"Well the school has removed the dress code for October 31st" David grinned wolfishly as both of the roommates looked at each other "To allow the students to wear their costumes to school"  
  
Shinji gawked and Asuka practically beamed.  
  
"Wow. This city really is getting in on the festivities. It's soo exciting!!!" Shinji merely shook his head. 'And to think I once thought school was the best place to hide from this kind of stuff'  
  
"So what you going as?" Asuka pondered for a minute but Shinji beat her to the punch "we didn't know about this until now David... there's no chance we've have made up our minds..."  
  
"Speak for yourself, baka" Shinji turned to face Asuka.  
  
"What?! You actually chose already?!" Asuka grinned and shook her head 'no'. "Then why did you disagree with me?"  
  
"Simple. I just said don't speak for anyone but yourself baka. You didn't actually know did you?" Shinji just shook his head and Asuka continued grinning. David checked his watch as it had begun to beep.  
  
"Damn... Gotta go! See ya!!" David left in a flourish of dust trails before Shinji could ask why he had to leave so fast.  
  
"I guess some people are just naturally weird" Shinji glared at Asuka when she turned away and headed for her room again.  
  
"Hey Shinji what ya think of this?" Misato stepped out of the door to her room in her 'bride of Frankenstein' outfit. Due to the fact that it was revealing compared to Misato's usual clothing, Shinji felt very light headed as blood rushed through his body.  
  
---  
  
David walked out the front doors of the apartment and stopped. He looked in both directions and seeing no one around he promptly stopped smiling. He walked around the complex and sat under a tree nearby. The nightly mist hadn't begun to descend yet so the air had a foggy feel to it. He checked his watch again and was slightly amazed it was already 10:25. He glanced at the night sky and watched as the few stars danced along the tower lights.  
  
He focused on one light. The one coming from M. Katsuragi's apartment. Two figures were seem clearly wandering about the apartment. He watched as the shadows parted and a down cast Shinji was left by himself. His shadow hunched over like a crying beggar. David's eyes lowered and he reached into his shirt and pulled out a small chain with a dragon earring hung on it.  
  
The chain was not of much value and the dragon earring wasn't very special at first glance. The chain was of cheap metals and fibres not worth a second look but the earring was a dull tarnished silver showing a western dragon with wings spread claws reaching forwards. In it's hands was a small little crystal. David wondered it it was a diamond but he didn't bother to think about it. He held it up to the light and colours splashed around himself. The light had hit the crystal and shattered blues, yellows and reds twirled around him in a maddening display of colour and randomness.  
  
He lowered the earring and hung it off the chain again. He looked up at the now dark windows of the Katsuragi apartment and smiled.  
  
"For you brother... I'll continue your quest. I never was special... but that just makes me happy because then my life isn't worth worrying about. You were right about one thing though" David paused and glanced at the hanging earring.  
  
"You never treasure what you have until it's no longer yours..." David sat for a little longer in the shadows under the tree before leaving. The morning mist had begun to descend and it masked all traces of the tear that fell.  
  
--- October 27th  
  
"Shinji we're gonna be late! Hurry up damn it!" Asuka bellowed at her fellow comrade who was half eating, breathing and choking on the piece of toast he jammed into his mouth before he ran through the door to school.  
  
"Asuka Look out!" Asuka turned around in time and collided with David who had looked like a deer about to be ran over by a Rhino tank.  
  
"AAAHHH!!!! / *CRASH*" Shinji stared at the tangled mess that was once 2 human beings. David managed to get up first and offer a hand with a smile to Asuka.  
  
"Don't touch me pervert. Bad enough you planned that!" Asuka swiped away the hand and got up.  
  
"What's wrong with being a pervert? If I wasn't I'd never have a reason to smile" David said with a straight face. Shinji with held his comment as Asuka stomped David's left foot into the ground with her heel.  
  
"Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr..." David grit his teeth and didn't scream, however he walked with a noticeable limp and kept making that annoying growling moan sound.  
  
---  
  
"Superman?! Ha! More like dunce dude!" David's growl had finally ended as lunch rolled around and he, Toji and Kensuke were arguing in a corner about what costume they would be wearing.  
  
'Or more correctly, insulting the other person's choice then claiming their's is the best yet. Then repeat' Shinji sat two rows ahead of them and stared out the window. They hadn't felt like leaving the classroom today. If Shinji knew what was coming he would have sat under the tree he currently stared at.  
  
His terminal suddenly blinked.  
  
/Yo/  
  
Shinji looked at his computer terminal as it ruined his moment of peace. He Blinked and wondered who would do something so... dumb? no...annoying... no...so David like. Shinji glanced behind himself and saw David point at his screen.  
  
/Decided on a costume yet?/  
  
Shinji shook his head, and David leered at him. Shinji leaned away from David and Asuka decided to pop in.  
  
/Ok what are you perverts doing now?/  
  
/The baron strikes without heed nor warning!/  
  
Asuka gave a look at David.  
  
/Damn straight pervert boy/  
  
Shinji sighed again and was expecting insults to fill the chat room now but was surprised when it didn't. However one message demanded attention.  
  
/If you won't choose then I've got the perfect idea for a costume!!/  
  
/And what would that be David?/  
  
/Ohh that's a secret. I'll have everything ready by hallowe'en morning. The class will be shocked to say the least!/  
  
/I request that you aid me also/  
  
Shinji blinked and wondered if Rei and also been monitoring the whole conversation. Well she caught the last part at least. Shinji looked over at Rei and saw she hovered over her terminal awaiting for her turn to communicate. Shinji knew it was rare for Rei for make herself known.  
  
'Though in hindsight Rei would probably be more clueless then me'.  
  
/Rei? You need help? Well yeah I'll help you too.../ David hummed to himself then typed again  
  
/Change of plans!! In fact we could also get Asuka in on the action too! That would be perfect!/  
  
/Don't count me in with your silly games pervert/  
  
Shinji smiled to himself. Every since this morning, the title of pervert was removed from Shinji the reigning champ to the new comer to the ring of Asuka's insults, David. Shinji was wondering how to get out of baka, but one victory a day was better then any failure.  
  
/Asuka, don't bash it until you've had it/  
  
/Oh, I'll show you bashing. They you'll think you've had it!/  
  
Shinji tuned out the rest of the fight as the teacher attempted to not get off track and do another one of his speeches... this lasted an impressive 5 seconds... for both of them.  
  
--- October 28th  
  
"David, come on man! Give it a break!" Toji muttered under his hand. Lunch hour had arrived and Toji had his lunch delivered to him by Hikari. There was much blushing but David's constant nattering was quickly cutting through Toji's patience.  
  
"I'd be pestering you too if you could have been inserted in my costume plan... however I just can't work with you" Kensuke filmed the event as Jock and Joker(David's class nickname) had a duel of wits and jibes.  
  
"So Shinji just what is David's plan anyway?" Kensuke kept the camera focused on the hanging bit of rice on Toji's chin as Kensuke turned to Shinji next to him.  
  
Shinji shrugged "I haven't even agreed to it. I somehow feel as if it'll be a really, really , REALLY embarrassing thing..." Shinji muttered but had expressed the words with the right tone to end that line of questioning. Kensuke shrugged and focused on Toji's raised fist as he bellowed a challenge of some sorts.  
  
"Well, one way or another you'll have a costume right?" Shinji shrugged again as he watched a rice ball arc from David's hand towards Toji's chest. Promptly a food fight was declared and non were spared.  
  
---  
  
"Geez... That David kid really got the professor didn't he?" Hikari lowered her head in shame as she nearly giggled at the old man's little mishap.  
  
Asuka was strolling beside Hikari walking home after school. Their weren't many cars or other people for some reason today but Asuka didn't let that bother her. She was too busy grinning ear to ear as the scene replayed in her head.  
  
"FOOD FIGHT!!!!" Asuka peered down the school hall at the cafeteria which had erupted in chaos. Hikari herself was next to her and she left to calm down the students. Well as class rep it was her job, so Asuka let her run off. Asuka waited an entire 2 seconds before she peered through the door.  
  
It looked like the result of pandora's box unlocked... only it was with food being flung at 50 miles an hour(on average). Asuka ducked back behind the door as a dumpling{dumpling - damage 12} made a soggy plop where she used to be.  
  
"Damn, I missed the devil!" Asuka glared at the door as Toji's voice came from the other side of the door. She opened her half eaten lunch box and was glad she hadn't been really hungry earlier at lunch.  
  
"Your so going down monkey Jock!" Asuka armed herself with two rice balls and leapt through the door. She didn't pause as what could have passed as two more dumplings and a cupcake{cupcake special attack - damage 32 plus slow damage} trailed along the wall she ran along.  
  
"There! Kensuke fire!" Toji pointed at the racing red target" Kensuke pulled back his rice ball and let loose the holy arm of the Otaku{Kensuke special move - +3 damage +10 accuracy 25% of unstoppable}. The projectile flew true, an unhindered flight it flew straight towards her.  
  
"Shiest!" Asuka dove behind the table she was running for and heard a loud *PLOP* on the other side. She saw half her original arsenal was crushed from the fall(now armed with only one rice ball{rice ball - dmg 15}) she decided to make this one count. She poked her head over the table and saw that Toji was also armed with several rice balls. Asuka grinned.  
  
"She leapt out of her hiding spot diving to the left and flinging the weapon. It soared past Toji and struck David behind him.  
  
David faced Toji now "Hey what'd you do that for!" Toji Kensuke and David had holed up in one spot together in order to not get swamped by the absolute melee that too place around them.  
  
Shinji had ducked behind another table a few rows ahead but either wouldn't or couldn't fight back. Asuka saw his peril and waved at him to race over to join her defensive spot. Shinji nodded and leapt up and raced over to her. This was caught by Toji.  
  
"He's betrayed us to the devil! Get him!" masterfully Shinji dodged aside a poorly thrown meatball, hopped over 2 skipping rice balls and dove for cover. He wasn't fast enough...  
  
"Agh! Tapioca pudding!"{Tapioca pudding - damage 18 chill ability} Shinji muttered as the cold dessert slipped down his back. He flapped his hands desperately trying to rid of the ooze.  
  
"I will avenge thee!" Asuka peered over the table edge and launched her sushi roll{Sushi roll - damage 3 rapid fire} at Toji. It smacked him right between the eyes and rebounded onto another kid.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Asuka saw that she had brought more attention to themselves and were beginning to draw more fire then before. Shinji voiced her concern.  
  
"Tactical retreat" Shinji blinked and wondered why he said what Misato would in an eva battle but shook it off as a cherry{cherry - damage 2 multi-toss} winged his left ear lobe "Better get out of here before more gang up on us. Hikari went to get the teacher a minute ago I think"  
  
Asuka looked around and noticed Hikari's absence 'She's getting the N^2 of attacks...'  
  
"Alright Shinji. For once your not such an idiot" Asuka and Shinji made a mad dash for the door she entered from.  
  
"They're making a run for it!" the kid that was hit by the earlier sushi shrapnel pulled out his secret weapon. Spaghetti with meat-sauce{spaghetti - 23 damage slow attack / meat sauce add-on, +5 damage chill attack} he grabbed a hand full and fired it where they were headed.  
  
The teacher walked in just then as Shinji and Asuka ran past him. He turned back to the room in time to catch the spaghetti in his face.  
  
Asuka was nearly rolling on the pavement holding her stomach as she finished recalling the battle. Hikari only continued to blush. She knew it wasn't appropriate but it was funny.  
  
"The only thing that really made it bad, was that he missed one of the spaghetti noodles after washing his face and it hung off his glasses for the rest of afternoon classes" Asuka fell to the ground again after being reminded by Hikari.  
  
"Life sure doesn't get much better then that"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
That was a trip wasn't it? I really enjoyed that food fight scene and I made it come more alive with all the silly little statistics. Believe it or not.... I forgot what I was going to say... But anyway, I decided to lighten up the mood a touch with this chapter and you can see that the date is steadily counting down to October 31st. Ohhh, what's gonna happen? Angel attack? Demon attack? The parade?! And what's with that David character why's he watching Shinji and Asuka so intently and what's with the momento?  
  
Drop a few reviews if you liked this. Flame me for what you hate. And most importantly just make yourself heard if ya read it. Till next time, cya!  
  
^.^  
  
_-~Food fight stats~-_  
  
This is just for fun. I had a bomb making it.  
  
Max stats are  
stamina - 140  
Speed - 15  
Accuracy - 10  
evasion - 20  
  
Shinji Ikari  
Stamina - 67  
Speed - 6  
Accuracy - 4  
Evasion - 8  
Special ability - the mad dash( +5 to speed +7 to evasion +1 to presence)  
Favourite weapon - rice balls  
Weapon bonus - adds +2 damage to home made weapons as bonus  
  
Asuka Sohryu  
Stamina - 71  
Speed - 3  
Accuracy - 5  
Evasion - 7  
Special ability - Red Knight( +7 stamina +2 damage +4 evasion)  
Favourite weapon - sausages and cupcakes  
Weapon bonus - German brand foods +2 damage +4 accuracy  
  
Toji Suzuhara  
Stamina - 94  
Speed - 1  
Accuracy - 7  
Evasion - 4  
Special ability - The Jock( +2 accuracy +10 stamina +2 speed)  
Favourite weapon - cupcake  
Weapon bonus - small foods do -1 damage if used by Toji, +2 damage if medium foods  
  
Kensuke Aida  
Stamina - 48  
Speed - 7  
Accuracy - 8  
Evasion - 10  
Special ability - The Holy arm of the Otaku( Maxed accuracy +3 damage unstoppable)  
Favourite weapon - Sushi  
Weapon bonus - gains a +2 damage when using small foods -3 damage to big foods  
  
David Cever  
Stamina - 58  
Speed - 5  
Accuracy - 3  
Evasion - 6  
Special ability - Joker of the deck( maxed evasion +20 stamina)  
Favourite weapon - pizza and burger  
Weapon bonus - western foods are +4, German foods are -2  
  
The foods!!  
  
-Small foods-  
dumpling - damage 12  
meatball - damage 7  
Sushi roll - damage 3 rapid fire  
cherry - damage 2 multi-toss  
  
-Large foods-  
cupcake special attack - damage 32 plus slow damage  
rice ball - dmg 15  
Tapioca pudding - damage 18 chill ability  
spaghetti - 23 damage slow attack / meat sauce add-on, +5 damage chill attack  
  
_-~End of stats~-_  
  
Drop me a line at drakeforbake@hotmail.com if you want to discuss anything. 


	9. 09 : The underdog One last chance

Disclaimer: Ok, Ok, you've got me I'll confess... I OWN EVANGELION!!!! AH!!! No Away you lawyer dogs AWAY!!! Here take my pet moth that I've grown in my empty wallet, just get them away!!!  
  
I'm surprised no one has been complaining about a lack of a certain spy in this fic(no not James Bond *disclaimer: I do not own James Bond either*) doesn't anyone remember good ol'Kaji any more? Oh well. Remember when I said Gendo was going crackers? Well that's cause he was being told of all the fun stuff that happens in this chapter... Fun... yeah right...  
  
I WARN YOU NOW THIS IS AN ASUKA / SHINJI WAFF CHAPTER NO EXPECTATIONS APPLY  
(eventually)  
  
"Talking"  
"thinking"  
*action*  
--- next scene  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
ACallingOfSouls  
Chapter 09 : The underdog / One last chance  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
October 29th  
  
"Hey Shinji" Shinji looked up from his SDAT in his hands. He wondered for a moment why he was sitting on the couch in the living room and listening to his player. It boggled him for a moment because he'd only listened to it in his room... what prompted the change?...  
  
"Hey Shinji..." 'Oh wait. I remember now, Asuka dragged Hikari over to their apartment today' Shinji pondered as the 26th track ran through his head. He glanced over at the side wall taking note of the time. 'Oh oh, I'd better get started on dinner soon...'  
  
"MR. IKARI!!!" Shinji yelped as his headphones were removed from his head and Hikari growled over Shinji.  
  
"Oh sorry Hikari, I was sort of thinking of something else" Shinji sat up from the floor he fell onto and looked up at her.  
  
"Well... You said you were going to take Asuka out on a date right?" Shinji sweated on the spot and gained a touch of a blush at Hikari's question.  
  
"Well... that's not quite true... I only own her dinner on a stupid bet I lost... I wouldn't really call that a date" Hikari pondered over his words before she nodded to herself. She sat on the couch and leaned over Shinji. The poor boy leaned back as well and may as well have just laid down.  
  
"Well, your going to get this dinner 'over a stupid bet' out of the way tonight" Hikari had maintained a neutral face but her words were hiding something...  
  
"But... but..." Hikari leaned further from her seat on the couch over the sitting boy and his brain clicked "Yeah... may as well...I guess"  
  
Hikari stood up nodded at him and went back towards Asuka's room. She glanced at Shinji questioningly when he didn't bother to move away from his laid down position. He seemed... stunned. Perhaps melancholy?  
  
"Hey Shinji..." Shinji sat up and glanced at Hikari  
  
"Um, yeah?" Hikari waved her finger at Shinji almost menacingly.  
  
"If your going on a date you must dress up! Especially if you plan to date Asuka! Now pick up the pace!!" Hikari then turned and entered Asuka's room, closing the door behind herself. A minute later Shinji's socks were heard padding off towards his room down the hall. Hikari wondered if she did the best thing...  
  
"So Hikari, what did you do?" Hikari turned around and faced Asuka who was sprawled across her bed, on her stomach looking up from her magazine. Asuka wore her usual casual clothing, large yellow over shirt and short blue shorts. Hikari wondered if she was really was going to get this over with.  
  
"So Asuka..."  
  
Asuka hadn't moved from her position  
  
"Yeah Hikari?"  
  
"Did Shinji take you out on your dinner yet?" Asuka looked thoughtful for a moment. She had been ranting to Hikari about how Shinji owed her dinner from a bet for a little while now. Now that she thought of it... 'How long has he actually owed me that damn dinner?'.  
  
"So... he hasn't I take it?" Hikari verbally prodded Asuka. 'I might have done them in the wrong order in hindsight' Hikari fidgeted for a moment. Asuka sat up on her bed and stretched almost cat like, yawning a silent affirmative.  
  
"Well, how about tonight then?" Asuka's eyebrows lowered just a touch at Hikari's question. 'Sounds more like a statement... She wouldn't...'  
  
"You need to get this dinner thing out of the way! Just do it and get on with your life!" Asuka pondered over Hikari's words again.  
  
Subconsciously she was using the dinner thing as a shield to block off any of the would be perverts, claiming to want a date with her. She knew it was an effective shield because it had been working so far and because she felt Shinji wouldn't really bother to cash in on it.  
  
On a more conscious level she told herself that the dinner thing was the baka's way to repay her for her presence and wonderful charms. It also gave her an excuse to leave the house any time she felt Misato's cooking was going to hit a new low and drag Shinji off to pay for her expenses.  
  
"Well... yeah I guess..." Hikari brightened. She walked over to her discarded bag in a corner and drew out something.  
  
"How about tonight... I sorta have these a ..." Asuka glanced at the offered token and saw it was a reservation for a table at some restaurant. 'Hey wait a second... she is baiting me...' she took the reservation and looked at the name. Asuka blinked as she noticed the Kanji was just above her but the subtitle underneath gave her all the clue she needed.  
  
'Worldly cooking and dining for all gentlemen and ladies alike' It was a fancy restaurant.  
  
"Me and my family had a reservation planned there but well... other plans were made so, here you have them" Hikari continued her point "Shinji's just about ready now. How about you?"  
  
Asuka's ears perked up. She was a very cautious girl and one that rarely opened to anyone. She had her pride, her glory and her fire. Her only glaring weakness was of course... these exact three things. If she was challenged on any of these fronts she'll accept it without second thought. Hikari had done her best to do just that.  
  
"The baka's getting ready?" Hikari nodded to Asuka. 'Do or die...' Hikari wondered for a moment why so used such a glum quote in her mind... though it did seem ditting.  
  
"Then I guess..." Hikari leaned closer to Asuka as her voice seemed to fade "I'll need to know what to wear!"  
  
Hikari was nearly flung back when Asuka leapt on top of her bed with the last statement.  
  
---  
  
Shinji sat at the kitchen table tabbing his left foot lightly on the ground. He just learned that Hikari had actually just set him and Asuka up. Well, that's what Hikari admitted anyway. She had handed over the reservation with a slight blush as Shinji glowered over her.  
  
'This would have been soo much easier if we didn't have to go to a special restaurant...' Shinji was NOT wearing his school uniform but instead it was a light blue vest, over a normal white shirt, black dress pants and a matching jacket. He'd be damned if he wore the tie though, bloody thing wouldn't stay straight last he tried.  
  
He sighed as the empty kitchen met his remark with silence. Hikari had ran off soon after that leaving Shinji and Asuka to their fate. Shinji heard Asuka's door open and he stood up before looking at her. One glance though and the world slowly rotated around him.  
  
He blinked and found Asuka was still there. She wore a simple red dress that just seemed to cling to just the right spots, accenting her features and flashing her curves. The dress had patterns across the rims and leading over the sides that seemed almost like little roses. She wore red gloves that had the same pattern of roses crisscross over the wrists and extend to the elbows. Her hair seemed to shine just then. Shinji didn't know why it just felt like it shone and with her two interface headsets peaking at the corners. Amidst all the follow patterns and wonderfully shaded red, stood her 2 sapphire blue eye's. Little islands in an ocean of red.  
  
Shinji must have been staring but then again so was Asuka. They caught themselves at the same time.  
  
"Well, shall we go?" Shinji extended his arm as he walked past Asuka.  
  
"...sure..." Asuka didn't accept the arm but then again she didn't shove it aside and run off. They left the apartment side by side.  
  
'Where's Kaji when you need him?' Shinji wondered. Thinking back though he was always there when he was needed... 'But he's never to be seen at the point where he could be the MOST useful... I wonder where he is right now?'  
  
---  
  
Across the Pacific ocean the man of Shinji's thoughts sat on a bench in some run down park. His suit was fairly muddled and his hair was a mess, in fact some one commented on that it looked like an animal died on his dead.  
  
'Better my hair dies then me...' Kaji leaned back letting his sore muscles relax as the days pain slipped away from him. He sighed as his back gave a nice crinkle from his stretching.  
  
"My god... hide one secret from Ikari and he'll have everyone under his command work 24/7 just to figure out how it was a secret" Kaji glanced over his watch. He blinked as he read the digital readout.  
  
"What an ungodly hour..." Kaji closed his eye's and hoped the bench would still be just as comfortable after he caught up on 3 days without sleep. He folded his hands behind his head and gazed at the night sky. Just as he was about to doze off his memory ran through a fast forward replay of some of the events he'd went through in the past few months...  
  
"Agent" Gendo's voice rang in the cold black office as Kaji walked in on a surprise call from the commander of NERV.  
  
"So what's the new deal?" Kaji sat on the side of the commander's desk and gazed down at the man. Gendo's position hadn't changed, his hands folded and his glasses unyielding.  
  
"I take it you've heard about the new attack?" Kaji looked thoughtful for a moment as if recalling a moment from his childhood but he'd seen the fight and some of it's images were burned into his mind.  
  
"Yes actually. I was rather surprised to see something unpredicted that was so large" Kaji continued to watch Gendo.  
  
"Good. That wasn't predicated in SEELE's plans and this means the old men will begin to act like children fearing the boogy man" Kaji nodded with Gendo. He knew SEELE enough that anything that doesn't go to plan, an immediate scapegoat was needed to satisfy their hunger.  
  
Kaji had nodded with Gendo's statement. If he had known what it would have dragged him through he might have not agreed in anyway. However the next day he found himself bound for the first point the 'red angel' was located. Several days with a crack team of field operatives and scientists out in the open fields surrounding Tokyo-3 and checking and rechecking recovered information sent him on a plane to NERV's 2nd branch in Germany. There is where he found his second most memorable image of his new duty.  
  
"Jesus Christ, there's 2 of these things here!?" Kaji hovered in silent awe as he stared at the two towering giants. He had been assigned as NERV special inspector.  
  
'Which was true in most cases' Kaji let a wistful smile caress his face as he sat on the bench in the cool night air before the memories resurfaced.  
  
He stood eye level with one of the two brutes. It was obviously unfinished as the armour hadn't been placed over the head but all the connections were there and waiting on the maimed eva's head. He glanced way up at the standing one.  
  
It was a monster. Just as tall as another eva but this one was completely white with black highlights. He noted that it lacked the standard shoulder pylons that every eva up till now had. But he looked between the shoulders and suppressed a shiver as he saw the most unholy smile in his career in dealing with secrets, rogues and spies. It's head was just a big mouth, a big fat red lip mouth that stood grinning wickly at him.  
  
Kaji waved his hand through his hair as he looked down to a nearby magi-terminal. He plugged in and hoped the white giant wouldn't mind him poking around, literally right under his nose.  
  
Data streamed past as Kaji absorbed as much of it into his memory as her inserted a disk to save it to digital memory as well. He had looked over the white eva's statistics first and several key points paused his speed reading. Mainly the points that read...  
  
"Solenoid insertion successful... Flight capable... Awaiting proper controlling system"  
  
Kaji blinked as he read over the save a second time but shook his head as he couldn't understand the technical crap. The terminal emitted a beep as the white eva's files had been loaded and filled the disk to the brim. Kaji removed the disk and inserted a new one, then skimming over files that he could choose to fill the next one.  
  
'Eva-07 statistics. Bingo' Kaji smirked as he looked past the white eva and over at the other one it's head awaiting it's armoured helmet. He turned back and started skimming over the information.  
  
"What the hell?" Kaji paused over the statistics as he noticed out of place text.  
  
"45% conversion?" Kaji blinked and looked at the next line "Primary resource alpha not delivered?" Kaji rubbed his eyes and wondered if the techno-mumbo jumbo was frying his brain worse then normal. The wickedly evil grin just over his head didn't help much either. however the disk beeped, freeing Kaji's staring contest with the magi-terminal.  
  
"Well. I got all the files Ikari would ever need" Kaji shook his head. He mission wasn't to do this. His mission was to find out where the 'red angel' had come from. The best location was deemed in Europe and he was only to stay in the German branch for a day before heading off to find the birth place of the new threat.  
  
"Damn Ikari and his *requests*" Kaji grumbled as he walked through the halls. Ikari had called him earlier after his arrival and *requested* him to tour the facilities to see if their German ties were still strong.  
  
"Building two eva's under your nose is definitely going to cause a bit of tension between east and west" Kaji pocketed the multiple disks and left off to get some sleep.  
  
Before Kaji nodded off to sleep he scanned both stats of the eva's to see what they could possibly be doing. It slowly dawned on him that both eva's were finished. Both of the reports said that. However eva-06 was being converted? It didn't make much sense. Kaji turned off the terminal and went off to sleep. Just as he fell asleep he realized that eva-06 was being rebuilt into that white demon he saw earlier.  
  
A week later Kaji found himself once again on a plane, not to Germany but away from it. His research team he left behind as he had received a personal *recommendation* to go to Chicago. A recent 'red angel' attack had left several question marks surrounding the region and it was Kaji's duty as NERV special inspector to replace those question marks.  
  
One such question was 'Why did Chicago have Evangelion facilities?' and another one was 'What else could be hidden from view?'  
  
Kaji had arrived in city but found nothing to answer those questions. The remains of the facility were ruins. Exploration only revealed empty hallways and crushed door frames. Kaji walked further into the secret NERV base and begun to find blood trails and bullet holes crossing floor ceiling and walls.  
  
What was worse was that the Magi system that should have been included in every NERV HQ, including this one, was gone. Totally gone, not even a trace other then an unmarked patch of ground amid a sea of dried blood. All this blood and not a single body to be found. Of course just from the near invisible layer of dust coating everything Kaji could say, it was a safe bet this happened maybe a week ago maybe longer.  
  
"Is there nothing in this base but blood, rumble and questions?" Kaji leaned against a wall and closed his eyes. He reached into his pocket and produced his cigarettes and with one well practiced flick of his wrists his lighter was busy lighting the nicotine delight. With a quick snap the lighter was safely back in his pocket the cigarette smoke brushed past his face.  
  
Since his eyes wear closed he jumped when the fire alarm went off and water sprinklers started to drown the halls with a torrential down pour. He sighed and flicked the soaked cig into a nearby puddle and turned to walk out. But the newly washed off blood and grit on the other side of the hall got his attention.  
  
'Evangelion Cages'  
  
That in itself isn't anything special in a NERV base. In fact it was almost a requirement, yet Kaji remembered what he had found in the Germany branch and decided that he'd better have a look.  
  
For there had to be some reason why all these people were slaughtered. If for no other reason then that they were holding out Evangelions that shouldn't have existed.  
  
The door was one of the few that hadn't been crushed, locked or hidden by rumble. However an automated sliding door is not easy to open with bare hands. Kaji gave up for a moment as he looked for something to pry the door open. He was rewarded with a long pipe that looked like it had seen better days.  
  
A quick shove with the newly acquired tool and the door swished open. Kaji stumbled inside, the sudden release of the door nearly toppling him. Inside the doorway the following hall was much the same as the one her left, just without the rumble covering ever centimetre of floor space.  
  
"What the hell happened here..." Kaji looked down the hall it's lights having long since failed. A quick glance at his watch revealed that it would be dark outside too. 'Enough exploration today...'  
  
"Ahh, no chalk... can't really mark off this section... Just Gotta hope I find my way back to it" Kaji stumbled through the few flickering lights and left the secret Chicago ex-NERV base.  
  
---  
  
"I recommend a large but discrete research, recovery team" Gendo watched as Kaji made his report, his hand's steepled in front of his face allowing only the glare off his tinted glasses to be his reply as he began a check-list of things to look over.  
  
"What were your findings on that hidden facility?" Gendo asked again.  
  
"There's nothing there but rumble now. Everything that would have been used in reference to life being in that base has long since left or been destroyed. That reminds me, send a lot of janitors too" Kaji's grim face gained a smirk as he spoke on " The place is nothing but dust, rumble and blood"  
  
"Nothing else at all?"  
  
"Well, maybe some shoe polish holding the place up... I need a team down here pronto to aid my searching" Gendo's eyes were flashed through the lenses when he raised his head in thought. 'Things have deteriorated in the angel war and one hidden asset that could have been useful has been stripped from us before we knew it's full potential... There must be a reason why they were wiped out so thoroughly...'  
  
"Gendo... Whatever that base was, it did have one eva unit. We now have it but for all we know it could have held another one, hell maybe two" Gendo glanced at the reliable if sneaky and insubordinate agent that was currently tailing one of the bigger mysteries that shouldn't have occurred.  
  
"The teams will be sent to you and will arrive fully prepared to dig out any secrets your new found tomb has found" Kaji nodded his version of a salute and the video link up ended.  
  
"Why would SEELE want to destroy that base?" Fuyutsuki wondered out loud from Gendo's shoulder. Gendo didn't flinch.  
  
"Simple, they had something SEELE wanted but what was it? That's the question"  
  
---  
  
"Evangelion unit 09!" Kaji yelped under his breathe when he saw what the records had picked up.  
  
The day after Gendo's promised teams were to arrive Kaji had returned to the hallway he had found earlier. The team and him went scouring through the halls that were cleaner then others.  
  
But it was still a mess with the blood sprayed across the walls.  
  
As luck would have it this was the eva bays as the sign had earlier noted. However Kaji had gasped when he saw 10 eva cages lining the room, each of them empty but some looking like they were freshly used.  
  
"Check the whole area! I want to see if we'll get lucky in anyway. Dead bodies, scrap metal with something written on it. ANYTHING got it?" Kaji's men and nodded and scattered through the dark eva bay.  
  
"I think I found something!!" Kaji blinked as he had been interrupted from looking over data terminals that at best had enough circuitry working that could maybe produce a toaster. He looked at his watch and gawked. 5 hours searching and finding nothing sure passed fast some days.  
  
"Sir, sir!!" Kaji followed the excited NERV forensics officer as he rushed away down the plankway. He had suddenly stopped at pointed at the waist deep pink goo that was standard for filling eva cages, well waist height for an eva.  
  
"What about that stuff? Don't you see enough of it floating around base anyway?" The officer shook his head to Kaji's remark.  
  
"No there's something moving down there!!" Kaji followed the line that the officer made by pointing his hand. Kaji peered over and found nothing... for 5 minutes he stared. Nothing...  
  
"Your sure there's something down there?" The officer nodded "Ok then, drain the cage and take a closer look"  
  
It's wasn't until the next morning that the manual draining was finished. Kaji and several brave souls ventured through the newly emptied cage braving the darkness in front of them.  
  
"Hey wheel the spot light over this way!" Kaji glanced at the man on the opposite side of the cage.  
  
"You found something?"  
  
"No, too dark to see shit here. For all I know this could be the bogey man's pad!" came the shout from the young man. Kaji grinned, 'Kids these days' he was only a few years older then them but his attitude and experience rose him higher on the maturity totem pole of command.  
  
Actually it was Kaji's idea to set up the search lights. The eva cages were huge and normal flashlights could barely reach the walls, groping around in darkness wasn't a favourite past time for Kaji.  
  
"Hey wait a minute, move that search light back from Yadu back to Kaji for a second!" one of the observers manning the high watch shouted. Kaji watched as the light played across the room and a dark huddle form came under it's beam.  
  
"Hey, wait there! Back, another metre so so... Yeah there Woah! Ok good, stop!" Kaji stood over the figure. It was a human alright and a dead one at that.  
  
"Well, confirm one casualty... NERV's it looks like..." the man from before commented on the other side of the dead body. He searched through the pockets and and blinked.  
  
"JACKPOT!! Magi security tapes, current base records and even up to date files on everything that went on until this poor bastard went for a pink eva goo drink" Kaji watched the man pull data card after data card out of the man's lab coat.  
  
---  
  
"Well, from viewing the data we've come across the can declare that it was a mercenary force that had assaulted the base facilities" Kaji read off a report his team had come up with as Gendo listened intently from the other side of the planet.  
  
"Mercenaries would not possess the means to stage something like this" Fuyutsuki commented over the video link up.  
  
"I wasn't finished. If I may?" Kaji waved the report in front of the camera before going back to his duty " At 0700 hours of an uncomfirmed date 3 magi around the world begun, what we the research team, deemed as a soft touch hacking scheme"  
  
"what's that Agent?"  
  
"Well, good professor, that would be the Magi's hacking equality of brushing against each other as lightly as a feather. When the invading Magi found nothing to brush against they'd move further in. Once deep enough they had begun a massive take over operation"  
  
Fuyutsuki nodded having had his question explained.  
  
"Now the when the base crew learned of the action they immediately begun anti-hacking procedures. Anyway, they failed. They're Magi is the equalivant of a toddler compared to ours, and thus, the base was completely taken over by an outside force"  
  
Fuyutsuki looked at Gendo as he glared at the screen. Nothing as bloodless as a complete take over of every thing that was automated... even the toilets were on auto-flush commands from the Magi in the HQ. With an external force operating the base... well it was an obviously lost cause for the trapped personnel. Kaji had explained in detail some of the events the newly converted Magi did. Flood troop locations with toxic fumes, block air ducks into corridors and important zones such as eva cages, the magi terminals and the operations centre. Basically... cleanest way to take over one of the NERV bases without risking one's self.  
  
"Then there were the mercenaries themselves that arrived 2 after two days of this. They came in full riot gear, gas masks, shields, hand pistols, batons, you name it they probably used it on some poor bastard. Thus all the blood"  
  
Kaji sighed as he felt the least humane part of the report go past but sweated as he realized what was the final meal on the menu.  
  
"Anything else?" Kaji nearly jumped. 'Some days I could swear he read minds'  
  
"Yes. It appears that the base possessed two Evangelions. Not just the one we now have" Kaji paused for the dramatic effect... 'oops forgot hope I was reporting to for a second'  
  
"So SEELE has an Evangelion now?" Kaji nodded.  
  
"I'll send the data with the next transfer packet that is sent. These things look nasty" Kaji paused as he waved the disk with the statistics on the missing eva.  
  
"I look forward to having you report it to me yourself"  
  
--- October 29th  
  
"My god... hide one secret from Ikari and he'll have everyone under his command work 24/7 just to figure out how it was a secret" Kaji glanced over his watch. He blinked as he read the digital readout.  
  
"What an ungodly hour..." Kaji closed his eye's and hoped the bench would still be just as comfortable after he caught up on 3 days without sleep. He folded his hands behind his head and gazed at the night sky. Just as he was about to doze off his memory ran through a fast forward replay of some of the events he'd went through in the past few months...  
  
He blinked his eyes open when an annoying beeping made itself known from his left wrist. He glared half asleep at it. 7:00pm Tokyo-3 time... Kaji yawned again.  
  
"And My plane leaves in..." he looked at his right wrist "... this is not my day..."  
  
Kaji stood up unruffled his jacket and took off at a startling pace to the nearest cab for a ride to the airport.  
  
"I wonder how Asuka's doing? She must be going crazy without me there" Kaji chuckled to himself "Probably giving Shinji just as much of a hard time... hell maybe more then before. When I'm around she usually burns off some of her energy maintaining that school girl crush"  
  
---  
  
"You sure aren't Kaji..." Shinji glowered at his 'date' for the evening as she repeated what was her new mantra for the night. Dinner hadn't been bad, but because it wasn't Japanese Asuka nearly did a standing ovation after looking at the menu.  
  
"If I was Kaji, what would I do?" he asked Asuka to prevent the silence from retaking it's reservation that it had been abusing wickly.  
  
"Well, if you were Kaji..." Asuka looked thoughtful for a moment "you'd push my chair in when i was going to sit"  
  
'Then you'd promptly kick my ass'  
  
"You'd start small talk about the little things..."  
  
'Which would end with an uncomfortable silence, or insults...'  
  
"And you'd pay for the evening meal"  
  
"I already am..." Shinji muttered under his breath. Asuka blinked for a moment then grinned. Shinji's mood lifted maybe a little, just a touch, better then nothing.  
  
"You seem a bit more... pathetic then normal today" Asuka mused as she rubbed her finger around the edge of her water glass, a faint hum coming from it.  
  
"Really... Sorry..." Asuka glared over her glass. Shinji looked down from the table to his lap.  
  
"You know Shinji. If you dropped that annoying habit you might be more likable" Asuka wondered why she was trying to talk to the Baka. He was a Baka after all.  
  
"Well... It's a habit..."  
  
"So? Just do to that what you do with any bad habit. Drop it!" Asuka stated raising her finger in the air for a semi-potent pose of dramatic effect.  
  
"Sorry..." Asuka glared across the table "... it's just sort of something that, I can't do..." Shinji muttered holding a hand in front of his face to better stare at it. Asuka grinned lightly.  
  
"How bout we make a little bet, then shall we?"  
  
"Isn't that how we ended up here in the first place?" Shinji pointed a finger accusingly at Asuka.  
  
"Well, this bet is pretty much over and done with at this point" Asuka pondered for a moment 'Well... If anything I felt for him... in that hospital room was real... Then I guess he deserves a chance...NO, just one chance' "How about you and I try out this girlfriend boyfriend thing?"  
  
Shinji blinked for a few moments unsure if this was some cruel trick. Asuka raised an eyebrow as seconds of waiting turned to a few minutes. The waiter deposited the bill before Shinji answered.  
  
"...Ummm..." Shinji noted that Asuka was looking a little steamed that he wasn't answering but otherwise she seemed sincere "Sure. Just a try, I guess"  
  
Outside a lone figure sat watching the newly formed couple. The shadow's brown golden eye's watched intently. Fingering something in it's grasp "come on... come on..."  
  
"Well, how about a first kiss huh?" Shinji reflexively cupped his nose protectively. Asuka frowned at him, she wasn't exactly proud of that kiss... "I meant a first kiss as a couple...dummkopf"  
  
"Well... sure... I guess so. Just... " Shinji shook his nose and Asuka hid a frown, which was more directed at herself then Shinji.  
  
Asuka moved over and sat next to Shinji. Shinji being the lovable but not so forward person he was let Asuka lean forward to start the kiss.  
  
Outside the bored shadow suddenly perked up it's golden brown eye's leaping with joy as it pulled it's camera from it's hiding spot. 'Here comes the money shot!'  
  
It was sweet... not like sugar... but had a taste to it the kiss they shared. It was like jumping off a waterfall to land in the refreshing water below, the rush then the invigoration. It was the sweetest song and the sunniest day... Shinji and Asuka blinked after awards.  
  
"Perhaps we should go..."  
  
"Yeah let's..."  
  
Neither knew who said what but Shinji paid the bill and they left walking side by side towards their apartment.  
  
Amid the bushes near on the side of the street David stepped out pulling some natural camouflage out of his hair and clothing.  
  
"I'm gonna feel like scum for this..." He looked at the camera that captured one frame of that perfect moment.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Hmmmm... I never believed that David was such a sick puppy... I've trained him well. Well that's another chapter added to this fic and I hope you liked it. I hope I wasn't too over the top in some parts. I needed to explain what happened to that Secret NERV branch that we found David Cever in. And to anyone wondering, that dead guy they found was the shadowed man that was talking to David and the eva crew during the battle in Chicago.  
  
How will this affect David when he finds out?  
  
Eh? Did someone just poke me? *looks around* Oh no Rei...  
  
"You didn't put me anywhere in his chapter!!!"  
  
"Well it was a this chapter only happened in one night Rei. Your usually off swimming in LCL or sleeping at this time of night" Drake cringes as Rei looks like she's about to hit him.  
  
"For that I'll..."  
  
"... Forgive me? Thanks Rei I knew you'd understand" Drake starts to walk past Rei  
  
"Drag you into the Omake with me" Drake's face contorts to pain as Rei holds him with an iron grip on the left shoulder.  
  
"Lord help me..." Drake looks up to the sky  
  
"Actually chibi Rei-1 will be taking your spot again"  
  
AAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE  
  
_-~Omake~-_  
  
Asuka moved over and sat next to Shinji. Shinji being the lovable but not so forward person he was let Asuka lean forward to start the kiss.  
  
Outside the bored shadow suddenly perked up it's golden brown eye's leaping with joy as it pulled it's camera from it's hiding spot. 'Here comes the money shot!'  
  
It was sweet... not like sugar... but had a taste to it the kiss they shared. It was like jumping off a waterfall to land in the refreshing water below, the rush then the invigoration. It was the sweetest song and the sunniest day... It was a roller-coaster as it peaked at the top and then the trill of falling at break neck speeds. It was the joy of getting a new car on your birthday and the feel of the wind as it zooms past your ears as you stick you head out the window  
  
***THAWK!***  
  
and the pain of hitting a car in the next lane...  
  
"You idiot! You really are a pervert!!!"  
  
"Wha? You were going to kiss me... weren't you?" Shinji stammered with a noticeable purple hand print on his face.  
  
"WHAT YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME YOU BAKA HENTAI!!!" Asuka made retching motions before continuing "You've had that damned spaghetti noodle hanging from your lip the whole meal and it's starting to bug the hell outta me the way it wiggles when you talk!!"  
  
"Sorr.."  
  
***THAWK!***  
  
"Damn you and your limb noodle!! I'm leaving!!"  
  
Shinji blushed when the entire restaurant turned to stare at him.  
  
Across the street David fell out of the bushes laughing with tears in his eyes, his vocal recorder falling nearby.  
  
"BLACKMAIL MATERIAL!!!"  
  
_-~Omake 2~-_  
  
Actually it was Kaji's idea to set up the search lights. The author cages were huge and normal flashlights could barely reach the walls, groping around in darkness wasn't a favourite past time for Kaji.  
  
"Hey wait a minute, move that search light back from Yadu back to Kaji for a second!" one of the observers manning the high watch shouted. Kaji watched as the light played across the room and a dark huddled form came under it's beam.  
  
"Hey, wait there! Back, another metre so so... Yeah there Woah! Ok good, stop!" Kaji stood over the figure. It was a human alright and a dead one at that.  
  
"Well, confirm one idiot... An author from the looks of it..." the man from before commented on the other side of the dead body. He searched through the pockets and and blinked.  
  
"JACKPOT!! MAGI HENTAI ACCESS CODES, SHOWER PICS OF THE KATSURAGI HOUSEHOLD AND EVEN UP TO DATE FICS that until now this poor bastard was working on before the mistress got him" Kaji watched the man pull obscene after obscene article off the figure.  
  
"Ok, guys, nothing important here let's go!" Kaji whistled and everyone packed up and left noisily. If they hadn't scraped their finger nails on the nearby chalk board they would have heard a pathetic...  
  
"...elp...me..."  
  
But now they were gone leaving a semi-conscious DrunkDrake in the middle of his living room. Rei walks through the door to the kitchen and holds up a picture of him being groped by the thieves a moment ago.  
  
"Rei if you hadn't pumped me so full of drugs and if the room stopped spinning and if your hair was flashing green ,blue and red I'd kick your sorry rumpus..."  
  
"Well, I enjoyed every minute of it" Rei high fives Chibi Rei-1.  
  
_-~End of Omakes~-_  
  
There is a god...*Chibi Rei-1 waves from the computer screen* dear lord not again...  
  
I may not Survive Rei's angelic wrath at this rate. So review like there's no tomorrow! (there may not be one for me)  
  
"Ohh Drakkyyy-pooo? whereeee arrreeee youuu?"  
  
"Bravely run away!!!" 


	10. 10 : Return to Normality Our Champions

And so the muchly delayed 10th chapter of A calling of Souls. Very sorry for the wit, to my what, 3-4 loyal readers out there? Ah well  
  
Disclaimer - If I owned Evangelion I wouldn't be righting out a disclaimer now would I? I think Disclaimers hsould work the other way around. Only the people that DO OWN the subject should make them... save us 2 minutes of our lives. what could I do if I didn't waste my two minutes typing this... I'll never know now will I?  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
ACallingOfSouls  
Chapter 10 : Return to Normality / Our Champions  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Late night October 29th  
  
It was sweet... not like sugar... but had a taste to it the kiss they shared. It was like jumping off a waterfall to land in the refreshing water below, the rush then the invigoration. It was the sweetest song and the sunniest day... Shinji and Asuka blinked after awards.  
  
"Perhaps we should go..."  
  
"Yeah let's..."  
  
Neither knew who said what but Shinji paid the bill and they left walking side by side towards their apartment.  
  
Amid the bushes near on the side of the street David stepped out pulling some natural camouflage out of his hair and clothing.  
  
"I'm gonna feel like scum for this..." He looked at the camera that captured one frame of that perfect moment.  
  
---  
  
"All passengers boarding flight 197 please go to gate A - 21. I repeat, all passengers boarding flight 197 please go to gate A -21. Thank you"  
  
"Will all announcers please go to through the gates of hell, I repeat, all announcers please go through the gate to hell..." grumbled Kaji as he looked over his plane ticket again. He hefted his rush packed briefcase back comfortably under his arm again and draped his coat over his right shoulder.  
  
"I wonder why every announcer sounds the same..." mused Kaji as the person in question broadcasted again 'I swear they're all clones or something...'  
  
Kaji shuffled ahead keeping up in line as it shifted maybe a step forward 'Who designed these places anyway?'  
  
Due to the fact that Kaji's mission had been deemed secret he had to fly himself out of Chicago. Not really that hard, thinking back. Right now he was to offer his ticket as proof to a stewardess up ahead to get a package Gendo Ikari left for him.  
  
"Next please" Kaji looked up and found the clerk smiling at him. Shocked for only a moment he offered his best lady killer smile and handed the airliner ticket over like it was made of fine China.  
  
"O-one moment sir" The stewardess was only slightly caught off guard. Sure, a lot of guys tried to do the same thing before, but most of the earlier ones looked like they'd need a bath and some nicer clothing and maybe some teeth to fill gaps but Kaji was a mountain of a man. Well he told himself that. The stewardess checked the legality of the ticket then tore it.  
  
"Well, mister D. Raike" the clerk/stewardess handed Kaji a small brown envelope with no markings "Here's your package, good day to you"  
  
"Good day to you too" He nodded his head and left the line up 'This better be my ticket home'  
  
Kaji sat himself in the middle of a semi crowded cafeteria and seeing how his business suit allowed him to perfectly blend in, he decided it be best to open his message now.  
  
-Agent Kaji  
-  
-I have been informed of a new 'project' It'll require you to over see the operation. Your -VTOL is awaiting in hanger 14. Speed is of the essence.  
  
-I.G  
  
Kaji blinked and wondered how he's always the lucky one. The one to be stuck in the front line of the spying frontier.  
  
Kaji made haste towards his contact point and hoped the trip wouldn't take all night. He did want to be home to enjoy the festivities he heard about.  
  
--- October 30th  
  
David sighed to himself. Rei was all for it, Shinji was on the fence and Asuka was holding strong against him...  
  
Well only when it came to convincing them that he had a killer idea of what to dress up as for hallowe'en.  
  
"Target approaching south east - two blocks" David spun around in time to see a red blur pass him, 4 green eyes crossing his vision.  
  
"Hey baron, you might try stealth!" David tracked the dashing form until it was blocked by a stack of apartments.  
  
It was then he noticed just what he shoot "Hey I can see my apartment from here!"  
  
"Call me Baron again. I dare you!" Asuka scanned her surroundings only trusting her eyes. Her scanner was on the fritz thanks to an earlier hit from David's rifle.  
  
"Sure, thing Baron" said David smirking. He never stood a chance as Unit -02 suddenly tackled him from the side. Not only that but once they stopped rolling he was looking straight into unit 02's right shoulder compartment.  
  
"This could hurt..." he muttered as the compartment snapped open and a volley of spikes hit home across the upper chest and through the head.  
  
His plug-simulator then powered down and the LCL drained out of tube. David coughed up some of the more reluctant drops of LCL from his lungs before accepting a helping hand from one of the technician's that was assigned to monitor the plug-simulator or plug sim, as some were referring it as already.  
  
"Hard work out, kid?" David nodded absently as he rubbed his chest were the simulated pain was wearing off.  
  
"Just a bit winded" David muttered clicking off a droplet of LCL from his left wrist before walking past the man "Eva takes a lot of of ya... even these 3D sims"  
  
The tech grinned and lowered himself into the plugsim to do some modifications as were ordered by Ritsuko. David turned around and left the man to his work as Ritsuko waved over the other pilots. When she had them close enough she began he little explanation of what a plugsim was.  
  
"These Plug-simulators, are state of the art Magi controlled Eva piloting programs" Ritsuko stated.  
  
'Let's see, Asuka looks snide but probably is just as in the dark about this as I am. Shinji's probably more confused then I am and Rei... Well knowing my luck she probably knows what this is and doesn't really care all the same' David's brain rattled in the silence.  
  
"Ritsuko, without the techno babble!" Misato said as she entered the plug-sim room just hearing the ending of her explanation "Some of us aren't day to day super brains"  
  
"Says you..." muttered Asuka.  
  
"They look like they understand perfectly Misato" Ritsuko pointed at the pilots who still didn't understand/care enough to respond "But if you insist..."  
  
Ritsuko launched into a more simplified description with better explanations.  
  
"The plug-simulators are modified entry plugs. These plugs are not directly connected to the eva, well not enough to control the eva" Ritsuko tapped a clip board she had picked up from a nearby desk.  
  
"The plug-simulators are connected to the eva's link up network though. This is so that we'll be getting live updates as to your current sync ratio" Ritsuko grinned for a moment "The Magi were also programmed to make your simulated eva react like a normal eva also based on sync score"  
  
"So that's why I still couldn't beat the Baron..." David mused  
  
"Jerk" muttered Asuka under her breath.  
  
"Anyway, the plugs then use all the collected data and form 3D worlds, or as in most of the cases we'll be using this for, battlefields for which to experiment the evas" Ritsuko looked up from her notebook and found more then one questioning gaze...  
  
"Questions?" Ritsuko held her head up with her hand when more then the pilots raised their hands to ask.  
  
"Fine, Misato you first..." It felt like it was going to be a long day.  
  
---  
  
"The reports show an increase in our current capabilities. This is obviously against the normal plan" questioned Fuyutsuki from Gendo's side.  
  
Fuyutsuki was a man of few things, a simple man really. Not a puppeteer like Gendo, nor a power hungry old man like what made up SEELE. He was a man that preferred a simple quiet life, like his past one. As a university teacher, nothing fancy but something important that would contribute to the future. A man that wanted to leave a mark for the better meant of mankind even if it was only one student at a time. He was now at a position to do just that, but at a grander scale of more then one student. No, no. He now stood as second in command of one of the world's only hopes against the angels. The high life as second in command has some benefits as of special 'treatment', and able to make personnel dance the macarena at the snap of a finger if he really wanted to. However, he also felt the pressure of being second in command, constant meetings, budgets, deadlines, middle management, arguing with the upper brass and the fact that he was the second in command of defending all of humanity... Some days were nothing more then a headache for this man. But all that he was, he was just a simple man, thrust onto his position. Nothing but a simple man when seen by others.  
  
However  
  
A simple man can be quite dangerous, that danger is of the same reason he's simple. He has a goal, and has a will to strive towards achieving that goal.  
  
"The normal plan has had to be... left behind" Gendo spoke from his covered mouth "Our new plan has at least as many benefits, though the cost may come quite high for everyone here"  
  
The simple man just nodded as he felt his goal take a step further away from him.  
  
---  
  
"Ok, one more round kids" Misato spoke with an enthusiasm she didn't share just yet. Sure it was Sunday, but that didn't help the kids as this was supposed to be their only day off from school. She could almost remember the growls that came from 2 of the pilots when they were woken extra early for plugsim tests.  
  
Misato sat on Hyuga's desk as she over viewed the 3D battlefield from a bird's eye view. It was quite spectacular some fights. Missile swarms soaring through the skies, prototype railgun weaponry flashing through the streets and bullets tearing through buildings like it was no bodies business.  
  
However those were only added in when the Commanders had left and boredom settled itself on the minds of the crews and pilots.  
  
Ritsuko had said to keep testing the pilots for 16 hours straight... she didn't speculate what to do, nor what to use.  
  
"Hey, Shin-man" Hyuga spoke up and Shinji's video linkup connected with Hyuga's desk computer.  
  
"Sort of busy" Shinji muttered through gritted teeth.  
  
Busy he was, a three on one. Or really 00,02,04 vs 01. Stealth was the only thing going for Shinji at the moment. Unit 01 was peaking it's head around a corner eyeing the intersection up ahead.  
  
"Well, would a positron accelerate cannon make it easier for you?" Hyuga grinned as he keyed in the appropriate codes in his computer terminal to pop open the nearby weapon hatch with the appropriate weapon. Shinji blinked for a moment stunned by the sudden occurrence.  
  
"...Well, sure why not?" Shinji collected the rifle, detached the right shoulder fin and reattached the cannon's safety lock in.  
  
In the command centre Aoba glared dubiously at Hyuga.  
  
"What?" Hyuga spoke with a sloppy grin on his face.  
  
"Your rigging the bet" Aoba muttered  
  
"Oh? Gee, All I did was equip my little trooper on the field. I had no idea that it would affect our bet on who would win this match" Hyuga continued to grin as he watched Shinji slink from building to building cradling the massive weapon.  
  
"Sure ya did..." Aoba muttered as Hyuga's grin got sloppier.  
  
"Besides, don't think I didn't notice your, 'tactical & strategic updates' you gave Asuka in the last one after her Radar got blasted away" Hyuga continued unabated and Aoba shared a fraction of Hyuga's original sloppy grin.  
  
---  
  
"So, The plan is a go then?" Fuyutsuki continued his questioning of Gendo. Gendo's eyes shifted to better see his subordinate.  
  
"Yes" was the reply  
  
Fuyutsuki grinned as he wandered from beside Gendo's chair to the front of his desk to pick up the single folder left there. Turning open the folder to the first page, he rose an eyebrow.  
  
"You really are going through with the plan. The Eva parade as I recall?" Fuyutsuki commented while Gendo watched him.  
  
"Of course"  
  
"It seems so unlike you. More like your previous self, then the man that's sizing me up right now" Fuyutsuki muttered as he flipped another page of the folder.  
  
"..." Gendo didn't bother to reply, but his eyes continued to watch Fuyutsuki.  
  
"I'm beginning to wonder why you started to go along with the Hallowe'en idea of..." Fuyutsuki's voice broke as he looked at the last page. Gendo rose his head above his hands and revealed a very slight grin as the sub commander thought of his next comment.  
  
"Professor. Even you know that a school science lab needs funds to function" Gendo's voice silently rattled Fuyutsuki's voice box to function. It was unlike Gendo to refer to matters not directly related to Eva.  
  
"Here I was thinking you were only using this to boost morale. Even I should have seen that you had another card up your sleeve" Fuyutsuki placed down the folder and one of the lines was highlighted red.  
  
'Estimated tourist income as of result from EVANGELION participation'  
Y x 5 black  
  
Project funds - Black  
Combat Maintenance - Black  
Project E experiments - Black  
Section 2 operations - Black  
NERV 01 - Black  
  
Status of 5 year quota.  
  
---  
  
"Ok guys, let's pack it up. Hit the showers " Misato commanded 'I've always wanted to say that'  
  
A chorus of agreements and sighs of relief came flooding from the video link windows. Even the bridge crew stretched out, finally able to work off a few kinks from their backs, before they could make the trip back home.  
  
The commanders still haven't returned but nothing serious was taking place, just the new sim plug tests and pilot physicals. Routine, nothing special, but one pilot was plotting away in the change rooms.  
  
"Hey Shinji?" David propped himself in the doorway blocking the way out.  
  
"Yeah, Cever?" Shinji seemed less then thrilled of being denied entrance to the male locker rooms but Cever didn't usually pose much threat.  
  
"Ya decided on your costume yet?" David moved aside as he spoke and followed Shinji into the locker room.  
  
Shinji blinked and remembered that tomorrow was supposed to be dress up day at school for the Hallowe'en party.  
  
'It was a major thing after, the school doesn't just drop it's student dress code for just any occasion' Shinji's thoughts continued to spiral 'No, wait, there are still some rules... I think'  
  
"Hey, Shinji anyone alive in there?" Shinji blinked and found David stared at him "You seemed lost for a second, dreaming of some one I know?" David gained a grin now to accompany his speech  
  
"Perhaps a girl?" David waved over to the curtain that separated the locker rooms in two "Perhaps... REI?!"  
  
Shinji had begun to blush as the one sided conversation spiralled towards another possible embarrassing moment. At the mention of Rei his expression flattened and his cheeks shone under the dim lighting.  
  
'Rei is more then a partner from work... but She's not quite... Well, what I feel for her isn't love as anything more then as partners'  
  
Shinji's mind then decided to drag the other occupant of his thinking into place.  
  
'But I don't know what I feel for Asuka. If she truly does like me back... Then I really don't know where I stand. Yet she's acting like nothing happened...' Shinji looked up to see David maintaining his glance at Shinji.  
  
"No, nono. Your wrong, I wasn't thinking of Rei!" Shinji's reply brought David's grin back so Shinji decided to steer the conversation elsewhere "I was trying to remember what costume I had ready!"  
  
"Really?" David looked like he had doubts, he placed his right arm on his hip and had the left one hang limply at his side. All the while he watched over Shinji.  
  
"Umm, really" Shinji's reply was lacking and David knew it.  
  
"Well what are you going to go as?" David's question seemed out of place, well only to Shinji. Shinji wasn't quite used to people moving past teasing him about his love life, or lack there of.  
  
"Umm, well. I don't know, I haven't had too much time to think about it" Shinji muttered as he pressed the release switch on his wrist. He watched as the plugsuit fell off his shoulders with a slight shrug, letting it join the slowly forming puddle of LCL underneath him.  
  
David faced his locker before he unleashed his plug suit too "So you wanna help me or not?"  
  
"This still about the costumes right?" Shinji muttered  
  
"Yeah, of course Shinji" David pulled out his clothing "I'm going in my plug suit tomorrow, wanna bring yours along and we'll be the tag team pilots!"  
  
Shinji blinked at David "That was your idea? Plug suits? David your weird"  
  
"Hey! what's so wrong about that?" David turned around and faced Shinji's side "It's completely unique, unheard of and it comes with a total set of 4 suits!" David proudly held up his used one which was still dripping with LCL to better make Shinji understand his point.  
  
"David... I don't know" Shinji replied, when David showed Shinji his suit earlier all Shinji saw was a used, LCL drenched plug suit, not some ingenious idea "It's just weird"  
  
"Oh come on Shinji!" David threw his plug suit aside towards the bin for used plug suits. Neither Shinji nor David knew what happened to the plug suits placed in that bin. Washed, recycled or burned were the most sensible choices the boys shared about the fates of the plug suits.  
  
"I don't know..." Shinji replied as he finished doing up his pants and reached for his shirt "I really don't..."  
  
"Come on! I don't want to be the only one going like this" David prodded Shinji with his elbow as he finished doing up his shirt.  
  
"But... wouldn't that be... secret materials or something?" Shinji responded closing the locker.  
  
"Ritsuko approved for me to go in one, I have it back at home ready to go!" David started flinging his arms with his talking as he was getting frustrated from Shinji's evasive manuvers.  
  
"Well..." Shinji looked almost beat.  
  
"Well???" David mocked, he poked Shinji once in the side making the young Ikari step aside.  
  
"Fine... I need a costume and this may as well do" Shinji held his used plug suit looking at it thoughtfully. David shook his head at that.  
  
"No, no. That's a used one. Ritsuko will give you a spare one. Come on" David finished his own dressing and dragged Shinji behind himself. Shinji barely managed to get the plug suit in the bin before being dragged off.  
  
---  
  
"Bwahahahahahahahaahaha! you really are gullible you know that!" Asuka swatted Shinji playfully on the back as she had nearly doubled over from her laughing tirade. David walked just a few feet behind them.  
  
"If it's such a bad idea then why did you agree to go along?" Shinji muttered loud enough for Asuka to hear.  
  
"I never said it was a bad idea, just that you get sucked up in anything and everything" Asuka commented walking a bit ahead of him. David was only just behind them and decided to voice his opinion.  
  
"Well, yeah Shinji's bad like that. However it's great fun for us eh?" David commented grinning. Asuka turned around and stood with both hands clasped at her hips and faced down David.  
  
"Wha...?" mumbled David when Asuka leaned over him, over shadowing him.  
  
"Stop bringing that annoying accent in your Japanese" Asuka frowned down on David.  
  
"My accent?" David blinked stupidly  
  
"Asuka? Why you fed up about that?" Shinji spoke up from his safe distance away.  
  
"I don't know, something about him is bugging me lately" Asuka muttered walking back towards the far off apartment block.  
  
"Well, I hope I can fix my accent for your pleasure... eh?" David spoke the last word with pride and Asuka glared over her shoulder as they continued to walk down the sidewalk.  
  
"Well... remember, we wear the plugsuits to school tomorrow as our costume right?" Shinji tried to steer the conversation away from what would be another battle of words 'It's not that I'm all too comfortable with this Halloween thing either...'  
  
"Yeppers! You betta be all dressed up in der plugsuit tomorra mornin!" David purposely chose the most mangled form of Japanese wording he could just to spite Asuka.  
  
"Your very much an idiot, and if the stooges weren't already filled up, you'd fit in more then perfectly" Asuka shot back.  
  
"Hey!" Shinji piped up when being referred to as a stooge.  
  
"Stooge, smooge. We'll get together at my apartment first, remember to come all dressed up!" David twirled his finger to add more bounce in his giddiness.  
  
"Where do you live David?"  
  
"Oh, sorry. I guess I never told anyone. I live in the second nearest apartment to you. Floor 6 room 54" David replied to Shinji's answer before he turned down his street humming a song.  
  
"What's he singing Asuka?" Shinji questioned when David's voice faded out of hearing.  
  
"Your asking me? I don't know English dummkopf!" Asuka fumed as they made their way up to their shared apartment.  
  
Shinji only wondered if this was a good idea. Going to school in plugsuits never sounded like a good idea, in the first place. Halloween or not Shinji felt jittery about the whole idea. Maybe Asuka didn't want to go to the school in her plugsuit either...  
  
'If she isn't going in hers I'm not going in mine' Shinji made a statement in his head but once again doubt struck 'But, now I have to hope for a miracle to change her mind...'   
  
'I'm doomed'  
  
--- (October 31st) Official Tokyo-3 Halloween day  
  
"Shut up" David muttered while the early morning sun poured down from his window.  
  
"No..." He turned in his bed as the light beat down on him  
  
'Wake up!'  
  
"FINE!" David shouted as he leapt up from the bed. Not a wise move at the time, as his single almost paper thin light blanket was tangled around his legs.  
  
"Ackk!" with a squeal and a crash David landed on the ground. Though his head hurt from the fall, the night table that he hit was doing worse as it was on the other side of the room.  
  
"Ahh damn..." He slowly got up and picked up the table and wondered where the one single possession of personal value he owned disappeared to.  
  
'Damn, where'd it go!!??' David searched the room over for his pendent. It wasn't until a quick look under the bed showed him where the little trinket disappeared too. It was just a quick reach over to get it.  
  
'This is almost fun to watch'  
  
"Shut up" He extended his arm to get it "Almost... there..." The door bell rang and another crash was heard as David smacked his head on the bed's frame.  
  
---  
  
"He's not much of a morning person is he?" Shinji said letting a single sweatdrop slide down his head when he heard the second crash.  
  
"... I'm not too fluent with English but I'm pretty sure that's not happy language" Asuka muttered with a smirk while listening to the tirade that had erupted from the other side of the door.  
  
"SHUT UP!" David's voice came from the other side of the door.  
  
"I guess he knows we're here..." Shinji said adjusting his headset as he listened to stomping footsteps coming from the otherside of the door.  
  
"Stop picking at those things..." Asuka glared at Shinji's hand as he fiddled with the headsets. For some reason it made Asuka almost self conscious and want to fix her own. It was a very annoying feeling.  
  
"Ah good, your all set for today!" David burst through the door huffing the words from his mouth. It was slightly gargled with the half eaten piece of toast hanging out of his mouth, but he didn't seem to mind.  
  
"Yeah, dummkopf. We were ready long before now" Asuka commented as she looked over her slim body now covered by the red and black plug suit issued from Akagi. Shinji stood in his with matching head set as did David.  
  
"Good, then let's head out!" David said with mock enthusiasm pointing the way with his finger.  
  
"Oh brother..." Asuka muttered as she followed the parading David, Shinji just kept his comments to himself as they waited for the elevator to take them down to the ground level.  
  
It was an interesting site seeing three 14-15 year olds walking through the streets in skin tight suits of such odd varying colours. Asuka in her crimson-black mix, Shinji in his varying blue-white with black outlining and with David rounding out the group with his dark blue-black and red. Though a lot of speculation was cut sort as children of the Tokyo-3 school all were wearing rather interesting garments and costumes to celebrate the NERV Halloween day. However the group wasn't complete until they reached a corner 3 blocks away from school where a white plug suit clad Rei Ayanami stood waiting.  
  
"Oh wonderful..." muttered Asuka seeing they had another to join in their little scheme.  
  
"Hello Rei" Shinji spoke softly and Rei's red eyes scanned the group.  
  
"So what is it that I am to do now?" Rei's monotone was directed towards David and he replied with a shrug. Seeing David's lack of reply frustrated her. Rei disliked doing something new unless she was ordered too. So she turned towards the other two pilots in hopes of understanding Hallowe'en traditions.  
  
"I'm just learning this myself Rei... sorry" Shinji spoke with a hint of anxiety, so Rei swung her glance to Asuka.  
  
"Oh brother..." Asuka held her head as Rei began to question her.  
  
---  
  
"Hello Asuka... ASUKA?!" Hikari's voice piped up from the back of the room, but when she had gotten a closer look at what the 4 pilots were wearing.  
  
"Good morning Hikari" Asuka said as she fell into her chair looking rather worn out.  
  
"What's with you?" Asuka commented as she looked up at her friend "Hikari?" Asuka coughed a giggle into her hand when she saw her friend wearing a silly witch outfit.  
  
Long black ragged dress with a copper buckle at the waist and long reaching sleeves. In her right hand was a broom that fit the description of a witch and she had a massive big black witch hat to complete it.  
  
"So you like it?" Hikari twirled to allow Asuka a more gracious full view before Hikari once again directed the conversation "And what are you wearing?!"  
  
"Oh this?" Asuka pointed a finger at her collar with the stencilled 02 under her finger while giving a pouting look "Just my work clothes"  
  
"Oh! I guess I don't need to ask Shinji, David and Rei the same question then" Hikari glanced at each of the other pilots before facing Asuka again "You actually wear that..."  
  
Asuka nodded.  
  
"But... It's skin tight... Don't you feel self conscious?" Hikari questioned in her semi boss like tone.  
  
Asuka glared at her prude friend while on the other side of the room Shinji cowered in his seat.  
  
'It may cover the whole body but I don't think I've ever felt this naked before' Shinji pondered as he sat with several of the girls staring at him from all across the room. He didn't see them directly but he could almost feel them sizing him up like a slab of meat.  
  
"Geez..." Shinji muttered and lowered himself onto the desk. David slid in the seat behind Shinji, giving Shinji a breath of fresh air as he felt one side of the room lose sight of him.  
  
"Look at the bright side. Least we make a pair" David spoke from behind him. David was also getting some of the attention but Shinji was drawing most of looks as he was better known.  
  
While some of the other costumes were flashier, fancier and bigger, it was the pilots that were getting the attention.  
  
"Shinji? Why you looking so nervous?" David prodded from behind him.  
  
"Why are we getting the attention... like, look at these costumes" Shinji whispered and glanced at one of the costumes "That must have cost more then I'll make in a life time"  
  
David glanced over at where Shinji glanced and nearly chuckled. Not every day you see someone dressed up in a Fuku.  
  
---  
  
Fuyutsuki grinned as he watched the technicians running rabidly across the Eva cages. His grey hair still neatly combed back and his suit nicely tucked in made him the picture perfect profile of an aged commander with far too many secrets and a wise eye. He sat in the observation booth of Eva cage 12, the very same spot that Gendo first looked down upon Shinji for the first time in 3 years...  
  
Now it was Fuyutsuki's turn to watch from the position that had been the first move in this whole Angel versus Evangelion fiasco.  
  
Since the Evangelions were to be seen in full public view, special considerations were being taken. First was that each of them were getting a brand new glossy paint job. A new paint job itself wouldn't be sufficient, as it would be dark out and the full impact of the Eva could be better understood if it's armour gleamed from the spot lights.  
  
"Our creations are monsters but they are our pets and even saviours. Yet we can only feel right showing them on Halloween" Fuyutsuki muttered as he stood up from the single chair in that lofty deck.  
  
He turned towards the camera feed and watched as one of the technicians on screen grinned ear to ear as he shared a joke with another nearby technician. A while ago that would have been unheard of, yet something about this just seemed to spark energy from all the crew. Maybe it was the fact that nothing related to an Angel has attacked for the past week or maybe it was because we would finally reveal to the world one of our worst kept secrets.  
  
Fuyutsuki sighed and left the room leaving the technicians to finish the glossy purple Evangelion's new paint job.  
  
---  
  
It was dark. The night sky had descended almost too fast for the occupants of the city. Yet as the night over took the day, stars slowly twinkled to life under the blanket of sheer darkness. First they were man made stars. Stars created from light bulbs, car lights and lamps, but as the night grew older the night's stars begun to appear.  
  
First it was one, dim and weak, but it grew and more followed it's example. The night was soon undaunted by the city below it as it's lights began to flicker off along stretches of the city.  
  
However unlike previous nights of the year, most of the city was still awake watching the sky's natural lights flicker  
  
"Hey look over there!" shouted the girl hanging off her daddy's shoulders. Indeed he looked.  
  
The street intersection had suddenly lit up, all the cross walks regions there now glowed bright red with warning lights and the danger signs flashing.  
  
"Woah, coool man!" shouted a costumed Dracula nearby. The costumed teenage watched with the other few thousand costumed spectators as the ground had lit up.  
  
A slow dull hum started and the street opened up slowly, double layered doors moving aside and leaving a huge gaping hole where a main street once was. Some of the citizens gasped when they saw just how BIG a hole was under the intersection. Several drivers would always have some lingering doubts when going over that spot for the next few weeks.  
  
"Hey, AWESOME!" exclaimed some groups of people as the dull hum increased and was followed by the sudden upheaval of 2 long poles that shot up to the level of most buildings in the downtown region. They abrupt stop made a loud resounding clang echo across the city.  
  
"Dude, feel the rumble! It's like going crazy" muttered the Dracula to a nearby cohort when the dull hum started to turn to a growing roar.  
  
The roar turned into a maddening rush of screaming wind in a matter of seconds. All the while the crowd peered deeper into the pit.  
  
And all leapt back when the screaming wind came to it's pinnacle when a long horn shot upwards as fast as most ballistic missiles. Followed by two glowing green eyes, a diabolically wicked grin and an armoured chest.  
  
Eva 01 came to a bone jarring halt when the track suddenly stopped, it's head snapping up to a position of smug cockiness with the jolt. It's purple armour almost masking it against the black starry night with it's green highlights almost as radiant as the spotlights which shone upwards. It's green eyes staring forwards.  
  
Sounds of awe and hushed praise rose in level towards it, as many citizens of Tokyo-3 finally met their long time saviour.  
  
Across the city several people with binoculars had witnessed the rise of Eva 01 and watched stunned at the awesome-ness of it's purple armour rising from the ground.  
  
That was only until the intersection marked by the surrounding crowd nearby lit up with red lights warning all of it's incoming Avatar.  
  
Again the awe and sheer magnitude was repeated by the crowd as they gazed into the depths while a low rumble made it's hollow echo.  
  
At the rumbles apex, 4 green eyes framed by a red angular head shot up, supported by a red armoured and muscled body. It's long orange and black arms had Evangelion 02 framed in green wording along each. The rumble stopped with a solid bang as the eva's upward motion was ended by the lack of launch track to follow. It's head snapping up with the jolt, pointing it's chin proudly forwards.  
  
Soon two more mighty Evangelions rose from the depths of the geo-front to stop standing proud in their launch rails.  
  
The crowds all stared at the bio-mechanical defenders in awe, some with wide open mouths of shock as they'd never seen anything like them in their lifetimes while others had a wide range of faces, some showing joy others showing fear.  
  
A voice came over the loud speakers announcing itself.  
  
"Our defenders! The Evangelions!!!" Misato's voice roared across the city.  
  
The crowds continued their expressions but a slow moan rose from the city. It slowly built up and it resolved into a loud city wide cheer.  
  
Shinji only stared almost dumbly at the rows and rows of cheering crowds as he stared down from the cockpits viewing feed.  
  
'They… they really do like me… They support me… they don't know me, but they trust me with the Evangelion?' Shinji turned his viewing feed around, making the eva's head also turn to face the direction he was viewing.  
  
"Our First Evangelion, we shall let loose is our one and only…" each speaker boomed from it's respective place.  
  
"Shinji" Shinji blinked when Misato's private video-linkup popped up in front of him "Your first up" Misato gave Shinji a thumbs up and clicked off the screen. David's screen popped up to replace Misato's.  
  
"Go knock'em dead with your superior piloting skills!" cheered David as he grinned before being replaced by Rei's expressionless face.  
  
"Good luck" Rei's video-link closed after her short encouraging ended. Asuka's popped up right away.  
  
"He was only superior at hiding. If he stood up for a frontal assault I'd have been ranked best!" She exclaimed glared at where David's video-linkup was on her cockpit, from Shinji's view though it looked like she was speaking to a wall, she turned to face Shinji then "Don't make a fool of yourself! I'm sure there's over 300 camera's aimed right at you, so don't trip"  
  
Shinji wiggled in his seat hoping to calm his frazzled nerves. It wasn't working too good, he only got more nervous.  
  
"Hyuga, set the count down" Misato ordered from behind him. The command centre was still decked out in all the hallowe'en decorations. Hyuga flicked a switch and a small light started blinking on the console.  
  
"Major, we're live, audio is up, put on your best radio face when the light goes solid" Aoba relayed the info to Misato who only nodded with a smile over her face. The light's flickering sped up then suddenly stopped at a solid red. Aoba then pointed at Misato to state they were on.  
  
The little girl was still holding onto her fathers head for extra support. She stared up at the 40 foot tall purple Evangelion in front of her.  
  
"Tokyo-3! Happy Halloween!!" came the female voice from the speakers. The girl had to scramble back to her perch on her father's back after nearly flying off after being spooked by the speaker.  
  
"Evangelion unit 01! Lift off!" The voice came again as a sudden loud metallic clang sound came from the purple eva.  
  
Several people backed away when they saw the eva lurch forward after being released from it's restraints, but the eva's slouch quickly turned into a proud stance.  
  
"The original savour of Tokyo-3!!" Misato's voice echoed out of the microphone she held. A cheer had risen when Evangelion rose it's hands like it was parting the water.  
  
Asuka's vid window popped up then "They're below you... stop making the eva act like it's doing the forward stroke" Shinji laughed nervously but made the eva resume it's tall position.  
  
Unit two, zero and 4 were all released and very slowly made their way down towards the main street to join the parade.  
  
Each one of them marching in their glossy shape colours against the shining stars of the night sky.  
  
The morning after Shinji could still hear the joyous cheering that rose from the city's streets to greet each of the pilots that strolled the city.  
  
'They trust me...'  
  
---  
  
Across the Pacific Ocean Kaji boarded a helicopter to speed his way home ahead of a super air-carrier which housed a new avatar. One made of black and to bring the curse of Evangelion to another child.  
  
Evangelion 03  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
I'll expect lots of flames, critisms and compliments. But before you do any of these... Gimme a review! Thank you.  
  
I'll try to speed up production, but it can be hard. Writer's block hit me like a two ton tank rampaging through my skull. But I'm back in the game and I hope to present more to you.  
  
Ohhhh... Did I just make the fateful move of putting this fic back on the original eva timeline? God I hope not... It might actually get respectable now. Can't have us do that now can we? Oh and it only took the evangelion world's hottest uber over sexed(under sexed?) spy to do that! *sigh* Ah well, the part we all live for... THE OMAKE SECTION!!!!  
  
_~-Omake-~_  
  
~And what was Maya doing during this time?~  
  
"Your rigging the bet" Aoba muttered  
  
"Oh? Gee, All I did was equip my little trooper on the field. I had no idea that it would affect our bet on who would win this match" Hyuga continued to grin as he watched Shinji slink from building to building cradling the massive weapon.  
  
"Sure ya did..." Aoba muttered as Hyuga's grin got sloppier.  
  
"Besides, don't think I didn't notice your, 'tactical & strategic updates' you gave Asuka in the last one after her Radar got blasted away" Hyuga continued unabated and Aoba shared a fraction of Hyuga's original sloppy grin.  
  
'Cheating are we boys?' Maya glanced over her shoulder before turning back to her terminal. Her fingers hit the keyboard running the code off by the mile. Nothing compared to her Sempai but still impressive.  
  
"Now watch as my Shinji blows away your Asuka" Hyuga pointed at the tactical map with the blinking dots and promptly Eva 02 was removed.  
  
"Bah! Not like you won yet. Rei's still out there" Aoba growled dangerously.  
  
"Just look for yourself, Shinji has Rei in his sights right now" Hyuga pointed at the tactical map again and the positron cannons recticle was dead on locked.  
  
"Damn..." muttered Aoba as the shot hit dead on. What really surprised them though was that Eva 00 was unfazed and uprighted itself.  
  
"What the?!" They watched as Rei charged Shinji's Eva taking hit after hit and not even slowing. Shinji's dot promptly disappeared from the tactical grid.  
  
"Rei wins again... against all odds... and possiblities..." They muttered together... But who had money on Rei...  
  
"Yeah Rei!"  
  
'MAYA!' they glared at Maya.  
  
" Since you guys were ^aiding^ the fight so much for Asuka and Shinji, As head of the scientific department I decided to implement a new substance into the Evangelion 00's design... Gundanium" Maya sneered at them.  
  
"God Mode..." Both of the male senior technicians muttered at the same time.  
  
(If you noticed, I based the cheating on what each of the techies primary functions were. Aoba is chief of communications, Hyuga the second in command of strategic deployment and Maya as the primary supervisor of the Evangelions functioning systems.)  
  
*To those that don't know, Gundanium belongs the the Gundam Universe and is damn near invincible. Just watch Gundam Wing or any of it's near cousins to get the idea*  
  
_~-Omake 2-~_  
  
-The costumed menace-  
  
"Look at the bright side. Least we make a pair" David spoke from behind him. David was also getting some of the attention but Shinji was drawing most of looks as he was better known.  
  
While some of the other costumes were flashier, fancier and bigger, it was the pilots that were getting the attention, to a degree at least...  
  
"Shinji? Why you looking so nervous?" David prodded from behind him.  
  
"Why are we getting the attention... like, look at these costumes" Shinji whispered and glanced at one of the costumes "That one particularly makes me nervous"  
  
David glanced over at where Shinji glanced and nearly passed out. Not every day you see someone dressed up as a tentacle beast. It looks so real... so vivid...  
  
"What's it doing?" David inquired to Shinji as they watched the 'hopefully' costumed beast.  
  
"I don't know..." He continued to watch it, suddenly they perked up at the same time.  
  
"It's ummm... coming this way..." David murmurred nervously. Shinji didn't dare budge.  
  
Shinji peered at the costume intent on finding out who the person was under it. What he saw...  
  
was a pearly white smile...  
  
Silver hair...  
  
And Red eyes...  
  
And he was coming right at Shinji...  
  
Run Shinji run  
  
_-~Omake 3~-_  
  
-Why Gendo doesn't like parties with games-  
  
"Hey, AWESOME!" exclaimed some groups of people as the dull hum increased and was followed by the sudden upheaval of 2 long poles that shot up to the level of most buildings in the downtown region. They abrupt stop made a loud resounding clang echo across the city. Followed by a long scream that rose then fell to the ground.  
  
"Dude, feel the rumble! It's like going crazy" muttered the Dracula to a nearby cohort when the dull hum started to turn to a growing roar.  
  
^Hey... I'm alive...^  
  
The roar turned into a maddening rush of screaming wind in a matter of seconds. All the while the crowd peered deeper into the pit.  
  
^I think I'm ok...^  
  
And all leapt back when the screaming wind came to it's pinnacle when a long horn shot upwards as fast as most ballistic missiles. Followed by two glowing green eyes, a diabolically wicked grin and an armoured chest.  
  
And up it went... and went and went... It soared right into the air. Shinji's vid window popped up and he looked rather unworried.  
  
"You forgot to put the Evangelion proof safety locks on the launch rails huh?" Shinji's monotone voice came at Misato.  
  
"Well, yeah... My oopsie. I forgot to put them back the way they were after I used them to launch Gendo out of the geo front" Misato said with a slight buzz running through her head.  
  
^Why's it so dark?^ Gendo looked up with his broken body to see Evangelion 01 land... Right on him.  
  
(Ha ha! Serves him right!)  
  
_~-Omake 4-~_  
  
-a past no wanted to see remembered...-  
  
"You really are going through with the plan. The Eva parade as I recall?" Fuyutsuki commented while Gendo watched him.  
  
"Of course"  
  
"It seems so unlike you. More like your previous self, then the man that's sizing me up right now" Fuyutsuki muttered as he flipped another page of the folder.  
  
'Will he ever put that one drinking binge incident behind, and let me forgot it happened... It was obvious I was drunk...' Gendo shivered ever so slighty 'I hated cowboys before... and now I hate them them worse'  
  
"..." Gendo didn't bother to reply, but his eyes continued to watch Fuyutsuki.  
  
'If only he didn't have those pictures... Then I just could have killed him all those years ago...'  
  
"And what about this one?" Kozo turned the folder towards Gendo. Gendo turned his head away from the spectacle. It was a rather embarressing moment.  
  
"Pink crotchless cowboy pants just don't suit you" Kozo muttered as he looked over the picture more closely "But that's how you beat me to Yui"  
  
Gendo choose this moment to speak up "She always did like things weird... even in the college days"  
  
_~-End Omakes-~_ 


	11. 11 : Life's Complications

What can I say? Sorry I'm late? By err... 3-5... How many months now?? Oh well, life sucks, for me cause I never had the time to continue, and for you, cause you had to wait so long. Well sorry again cause this is only a short little piece to help get us a bit warmed up again.  
  
If there's any misspelled names... Well, once again, sucks to be me and you... Marg!! I'll make it up somehow! Oh well...  
  
Enjoy!  
  
DrunkDrake  
  
ACallingOfSouls  
  
Chapter 11 : Life's Complications  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"So, what's the schedule for today Hyuga?" Aoba prodded him from the side as they travelled down the corridor.  
  
Hyuga hefted the folders under each arm as he tried to remember what was left on the order sheet. Thankfully a door interrupted his companion giving him more time to think.  
  
"Door" Hyuga spoke as his arms continued to heft the multitude of folders under his arms. Aoba only shook his head seeing his overburdened friend and opened the door for them.  
  
"Well, I think next is clean the toilets..." Hyuga muttered as he passed by Aoba. Aoba blinked and followed after him.  
  
"Yeah right"  
  
---  
  
Misato grinned as she looked over her order sheet. She had Hyuga as a deep end spy into the workings of NERV and she also knew that he had a little crush on her. By attaching her name to the order sheet, she felt it would get done quicker.  
  
"Morning Misato" Ritsuko spoke as she closed the door on her way into Misato's cluttered office. A simple one, like all NERV offices, yet the only significant piece of furniture, being the desk, was utterly stacked with old files and a ramen container made the whole room look like a pig pen "Still the house keeper as always?"  
  
"Hey, I don't knit pick your living habits. Woman of 13 dozen cats" Misato piped up from the pile.  
  
Ritsuko sat down in the chair opposite of Misato's which was a comical position because all she could see was files upon piles of folders with one crowning ramen box on top.  
  
"Is there a reason you came in here?" Misato spoke again as she ruffled through her pile.  
  
"I should ask the same of you. I don't think you've been in here since the 7th angel incident. These dates only prove me right" Ritsuko fingered one of the leaflets at the bottom.  
  
Misato poked an elbow wearing the sleeve of her red coat over the top of the pile knocking the crowned ramen off centre as she leaned over.  
  
"Ritsuko, friend and all, your helpful and sometimes nice, but right now I need to work. So if you have something you have to tell me, then tell me. Otherwise, beat it" Misato jabbed her thumb in the direction of the door before lowering herself down the other side again.  
  
"Well, actually..." Misato poked her head over to see what Ritsuko was going to say "...Nothing"  
  
"Then get out!"  
  
---  
  
"Alright Shinji... Just relax and close your eyes. Must have done this a dozen times already, so you know it's better with your eyes closed..."  
  
Shinji sighed and closed his eyes "yeah yeah"  
  
"HA!" What could almost be deemed a karate chop to the face smacked Shinji's open mouth like a torpedo launching the small unwrapped candy into his mouth. a short gag later Shinji found the candy was a chocolate almond.  
  
David sat on the other side of the table from Shinji and snickered at the little exchange between Shinji and Asuka. They had made a game out of the remaining candies that they had piled together. To place faith into your fellow pilot to place a candy into your mouth, eyes closed of course, though a new rule from Asuka stated that the candy being placed has to be eaten. So it was a massive leap of faith for some people.  
  
As David stared into the pile of assorted candies he silently prayed 'Don't let the next one be a raison...'  
  
Shinji had finished enjoying the unusual chocolate and made a selection for Rei.  
  
Then Rei was making a selection for David and he over heard a whisper from Asuka "That one Rei, I hear he likes raisons" David nearly cried from the agony...  
  
---  
  
"Sir?" Kaji looked over at the man addressing him "It appears there has been problems with transportation of the package. It's been delayed and is being rerouted to Okinawa due to problems out of our hands..."  
  
Kaji's hair swept in front of his face as he pondered the man's words. Just as his helicopter ride came to an end he leapt off and nodded for the pilot to head back to the proper airfield. With his hands in his trench coats pockets he watched as the newly outdated helicopter rose off the ground and swiftly turned back. The air still whipping around Kaji's hair he turned and looked into the bordering Tokyo 2 forest line.  
  
"Best place to meet an informant, is when they set the time ... " Kaji took out his lighter from one pocket and a waiting cigarette in the other. On the third strike, the lighter caught long enough to light the nicotine fix before continuing " ... but you set the place"  
  
He begun walking into the forest at a leisurely pace making every square inch a new home in his memory. He may have set the place, but it's always wise to make sure nothing would be out of order when business was to be conducted.  
  
"Always bring insurance..." Kaji patted the gun under his left side affectionately, knowing that it was his only partner for now.  
  
---  
  
"Arg... no more... " David whined as he leaned back on the kitchen table. Thankfully the raisons were few and far between and most likely past now, as he had gorged on hallowe'en candy. Not that others were doing much better.  
  
Shinji was nearly doubled over holding his stomach 'pfft, first timers. It'll do him well' David pondered in his head before shifting over to Asuka.  
  
"What you done already? Seeing how you practically dove into the pile in the first place, it looked like there would be no end in sight!" Asuka claimed popping a chew candy into her mouth. David made note how Asuka chewed it slowly, probably just about hit her limit also.  
  
"Yes... " Rei took a side long look at David "I do not understand why filling ourselves with these candies will be good for us" Rei continued to stare into David. David only fidgeted since his 'everybody does it' line is of 'no consequence' as Rei put it.  
  
"You can't... ummm..." David floundered as his stomach rolled in his belly.  
  
Shinji looked up from where he was and noted the situation hadn't changed at all. David was still being picked on by both girls. To Shinji it looked like Asuka was still helping herself to a large sum of candy but he noticed how Rei was a bit more sluggish with her comments and how her features seemed a bit more aggressive.  
  
'Does Rei have a stomach ache too?' Shinji pondered as David attempted to explain to Rei the value of a childhood loaded with candy induced tummy aches.  
  
---  
  
"Fuyutski"  
  
Kozo walked through the black doorway into the office of Gendo Ikari, still dark and luminous as always but with the single man stilling at his desk it some how still gave an impression of light...  
  
"Hmm, yes?" Fuyutski's grey hair line took a slight green outline from the glowing symbol from the ceiling.  
  
"A bit informal of a tone considering what I'm going to tell you" Gendo's voice echoed across the room.  
  
"Yes, and that would be?" Fuyutski pondered for a moment as Gendo remained silent.  
  
"The next one is due soon... This one is the Jester"  
  
"... Our next RED angel I take it" Fuyutski muttered.  
  
Gendo refused to speak but gave a nod, offering no more information.  
  
"... How do you know?"  
  
Gendo merely smirked "I am currently in an endeavour to obtain this one before it is unsalvageable"  
  
---  
  
Kaji remained behind the dense cover of the forested setting and waited as he watched a small speedy vehicle pull to a stop some distance away. Not being able to tell the features Kaji only reassured himself with the feeling of his gun in his pocket and watched as a man stepped out of the passenger side of the vehicle.  
  
"Hmmm... Strange conduct... Coming here in some pseudo ninja pyjamas..." Kaji muttered silently as he watched the black clothed figure lug a briefcase into the middle of the meeting area.  
  
With an audible groan, the figure placed the case down and then viewed around the area. After a moment the figure reached into it's pockets and pulled out a tarp to cover the case.  
  
Kaji signed having thought he might have been caught then gunned down, but whatever that black character was doing, it didn't involve hunting him down.  
  
Keeping his position deep in the forest he watched as the figure dashed off into the vehicle and then drove away silently.  
  
"... This is Agent Ryouji, I have confirmed the placement of the package" Kaji spoke into a hidden mike in his jacket, then pressed the back of his ear lobe to better listen to any orders.  
  
"Good, retrieve the package and begin withdraw procedures in the next 2 minutes"  
  
Kaji sighed as the transceiver turned off, knowing full well what withdraw procedures meant. The two minute time limit was how long he had before the other side of this rotten deal were to arrive to collect the thing that he was to get. Whatever was in that box was going to get him in a lot of trouble in a minute and a half.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Sorry no Omake this time. Too short of a chapter to think of one and not enough really happened for me to wanna make one cause stuff is building up again. Oh and whatever did I do with those original angels, muhahahaahahahaaahaha... Yeah, I forgot too... Hmmm... Maybe I misplaced them in the garage somewhere... or in my sock draw... god knows how long since I've looked in there... Oh well, Until the next chapter is out have fun. 


End file.
